Dictionary

patriarchy

noun pa·tri·ar·chy \-ˌär-kē\

: a family, group, or government controlled by a man or a group of men

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

plural pa·tri·ar·chies

Full Definition of PATRIARCHY

1
:  social organization marked by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family, the legal dependence of wives and children, and the reckoning of descent and inheritance in the male line; broadly :  control by men of a disproportionately large share of power
2
:  a society or institution organized according to the principles or practices of patriarchy
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First Known Use of PATRIARCHY

1632

Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

Rhymes with PATRIARCHY

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Next Word in the Dictionary: patricentricPrevious Word in the Dictionary: patriarchistAll Words Near: patriarchy
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