matriarch
Appearance
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Of Latin origin, via or reinforced by Old French matriarche, from Latin māter (“mother”) + -archa, -arches, from Ancient Greek -άρχης (-árkhēs), from ἀρχός (arkhós, “chief”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ergʰ- (“to begin, rule, command”). By surface analysis, matri- + -arch.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]matriarch (plural matriarchs)
- A female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group.
- The dominant female in a family group of elephants
- (chiefly Northern England) A strong and domineering older woman; a battle axe.
- 2005 September 3, Alan Burton, The British Consumer Co-operative Movement and Film, 1890s-1960s, Manchester University Press, →ISBN, page 174:
- A typical Lancashire matriarch ushers the reassured townsfolk off the premises, confident that her money is safe: 'You don't deserve any business doubting t' Co-op. It's sound enough, and them that doubt it ought to be ashamed of themselves.'
- 2016 May 23, Barry J. Faulk, British Rock Modernism, 1967-1977: The Story of Music Hall in Rock, Routledge, →ISBN, page 67:
- Although the drummer has no musical segments in the film, he remains a central visual presence, inevitably accompanied—and visually framed—by his aunt, the stereotypically loud, forceful, and domineering northern matriarch.
- 2022 February 3, Matthew Hammett Knott, A Class of Their Own: Adventures in Tutoring the Super-Rich, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
- Cornelius Hazelwood – naturally I gave him a name – saw to it that Felix could tell his prime numbers from his square roots. Then Beryl Swinehodge, an imperious Yorkshire matriarch, rolled up to test him on food pyramids.
- A female founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.
Synonyms
[edit]Antonyms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]a female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group
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Dutch
[edit]Etymology
[edit](This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]matriarch f (plural matriarchen, diminutive matriarchje n, masculine patriarch)
Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Categories:
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms prefixed with matri-
- English terms suffixed with -arch
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- Northern England English
- English terms with quotations
- en:Elephants
- en:Female people
- Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
- Dutch terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:Dutch/ɑrx
- Rhymes:Dutch/ɑrx/3 syllables
- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch nouns
- Dutch nouns with plural in -en
- Dutch feminine nouns