matrilocal

American

[ma-truh-loh-kuhl, may-] / 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- /

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

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.

See Examples For:

matrilocal

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

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

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

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 29, 2023

When the matrilineal, matrilocal and matripotestal conditions are found together, we have mother-right at its fullest and strongest.

From Anthropology by R. R. (Robert Ranulph) Marett

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