matriarch

English

Etymology

Latin, via or reinforced by Old French matriarche, from māter (“mother”) + -archa, -arches, from Ancient Greek -άρχης (-árkhēs), from ἀρχός (arkhós, “chief”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ergʰ- (“to begin, rule, command”). Surface analysis matri- +‎ -arch.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪtɹɪˌɑːk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪt(ʃ)ɹiɑɹk/

Noun

matriarch (plural matriarchs)

1. A female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group.
   1. The dominant female in a family group of elephants
2. A female founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.

Synonyms

• materfamilias

Antonyms

• highfather
• paterfamilias
• patriarch

Related terms

Terms related to matriarch

• maternal
• matriarchal

• matriarchy
• matrimony, matrimonial

• matron

Translations

a female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group

• Catalan: matriarca f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 女家長, 女家长 (nǚjiāzhǎng)

• Dutch: aartsmoeder f, matriarch (nl) f
• Esperanto: matriarko
• Faroese: ættarmóðir f
• Finnish: matriarkka (fi) (1)
• French: matriarche (fr) f (1)
• German: Matriarchin (de) f

• Indonesian: matriark
• Japanese: 女家長 (おんなかちょう, onna kachō)
• Navajo: amá
• Portuguese: matriarca f
• Russian: родонача́льница (ru) f (rodonačálʹnica), матриа́рх (ru) m (matriárx)
• Scottish Gaelic: àrd-mhàthair f
• Spanish: matriarca f
• Swedish: matriark

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

matriarch f (plural matriarchen, diminutive matriarchje n, masculine patriarch)

1. matriarch

Related terms

Terms related to matriarch

• matriarchaal

• matriarchie

• matrimoniaal

• matrimonie