matrilocal

American

[ma-truh-loh-kuhl, mey-] / ˌmæ trəˈloʊ kəl, ˌmeɪ- /

adjective

Anthropology.

of or relating to residence with the wife's family or tribe; uxorilocal.

matrilocal customs.

matrilocal British

/ ˈmætrɪˌləʊkəl, ˈmeɪ-, ˌmeɪ-, ˌmætrɪləʊˈkælɪtɪ /

adjective

denoting, having, or relating to a marriage pattern in which the couple live with the wife's family

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of matrilocal

First recorded in 1905–10; matri- + local

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The scientists say that Iron Age Britain may have been matrilocal because men were frequently away fighting.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2025

The work indicates that this society was what is known as matrilocal - meaning that a married man moved to live in his wife's community.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2025

For example, Korea had been relatively matrilocal, with the husband joining the wife’s family after marriage.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

The pattern suggests societies were matrilocal, with women staying in their home groups and men leaving to form families in new lands, the team reports today in Science.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 29, 2022

The extended family groupings in terms of matrilocal residence or centered around a sibling group are amorphous but flexible.

From Shoshone-Bannock Subsistence and Society by Murphy, Robert F.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023