matriarch

Meaning

1. A female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group.
2. (Northern-England) A female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group.
3. A female founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.

Synonyms

patriarch

ancestor

materfamilias

headman

interpreter

dowager

ancestress

precursor

ruler

mother figure

Translations

matriarche

matriarca

Matriarchin

matriarca

aartsmoeder

stamhoofd

رئيسة الأسرة

matriarch

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmeɪtɹɪˌɑːk/

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.