matrilocal

[ma-truh-loh-kuhl, mey-]

adjective

Anthropology.

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

   matrilocal customs.

matrilocal

/ ˈmætrɪˌləʊkəl, ˈmeɪ-, ˌmeɪ-, ˌmætrɪləʊˈkælɪtɪ /

adjective

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

Other Word Forms

• matrilocality noun
• matrilocally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of matrilocal¹

First recorded in 1905–10; matri- + local

Example Sentences

But some matrilocal communities exist today or in the recent past, including the Akans in Ghana, West Africa and Cherokee in North America.

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

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Matrilocal societies are also less likely to experience internal conflict, she says.

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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.

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The society has been and remains matriarchal and matrilocal, with husbands moving in with their wives’ families.

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