matriarch
n. countablen. the woman who is the head of a family or a group. She is usually the oldest and most respected person in the family.
n. the female head of a family or social group, typically the eldest and most influential member. Often used in sociological or biological contexts to describe the dominant female in a social hierarchy.
The matriarch of the family lived in the same house for fifty years.
In many traditional societies, the matriarch holds the final authority over major family decisions and property distribution.
The documentary explores how the matriarch of the elephant herd leads the group to water sources, ensuring the survival of the younger calves during the dry season.
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 30, 2026