matrilocal

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

/ ˌmæ trəˈloʊ kəl, ˌmeɪ- /

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adjective Anthropology.

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

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Compare neolocal, virilocal.

Origin of matrilocal

First recorded in 1905–10; matri- + local

OTHER WORDS FROM matrilocal

mat·ri·lo·cal·i·ty, noun

Words nearby matrilocal

matrifocal, matrilateral, matrilineage, matrilineal, matriliny, matrilocal, matrimonial, matrimony, matrimony vine, matripotestal, matrix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use matrilocal in a sentence

When the husband removes and lives in his wife's group the marriage is matrilocal; if the wife removes it is patrilocal.
Kinship Organisations and Group Marriage in Australia|Northcote W. Thomas
I therefore propose to term the three types matrilocal, removal, and patrilocal marriages.
Kinship Organisations and Group Marriage in Australia|Northcote W. Thomas
The extended family groupings in terms of matrilocal residence or centered around a sibling group are amorphous but flexible.
Shoshone-Bannock Subsistence and Society|Robert F. Murphy
In such a case the marriage is called matrilocal; otherwise it is patrilocal.
Anthropology|Robert Marett

British Dictionary definitions for matrilocal

matrilocal

/ (ˈmætrɪˌləʊkəl, ˈmeɪ-) /

adjective

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

Derived forms of matrilocal

matrilocality (ˌmætrɪləʊˈkælɪtɪ, ˌmeɪ-), nounmatrilocally, adverb

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