Definition of MATRIARCH

matriarch

Plural: matriarchs

Noun

  • a female head of a family or tribe
  • a feisty older woman with a big bosom (as drawn in cartoons)
  • A female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group.
  • The dominant female in a family group of elephants
  • A female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group.
  • A strong and domineering older woman; a battle axe.
  • A female founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.

Origin / Etymology

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.

Synonyms

materfamilias

Scrabble Score: 16

matriarch is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
matriarch is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
matriarch is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 17

matriarch is a valid Words With Friends word