matriarchy

noun ma·tri·ar·chy \ˈmā-trē-ˌär-kē\

: a family, group, or government controlled by a woman or a group of women

: a social system in which family members are related to each other through their mothers

plural ma·tri·ar·chies

Full Definition of MATRIARCHY

: a family, group, or state governed by a matriarch

: a system of social organization in which descent and inheritance are traced through the female line

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1885

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