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patriarchy definition

pa·tri·archy (-är′kē)

noun pl. patriarchies -·arch′·ies

  1. a form of social organization in which the father or the eldest male is recognized as the head of the family or tribe, descent and kinship being traced through the male line
  2. government, rule, or domination by men, as in a family or tribe

Etymology: Gr patriarchia: see patriarch

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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