matriarchy: Meaning and Definition of

ma•tri•ar•chy

Pronunciation: (mā'trē-är"kē), [key]
— pl. -chies.
  1. a family, society, community, or state governed by women.
  2. a form of social organization in which the mother is head of the family, and in which descent is reckoned in the female line, the children belonging to the mother's clan; matriarchal system.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also: