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Feb 18, 2005

This week's theme
Feminine and masculine forms of words

This week's words
matrocliny
muliebrity
misandry
sororal
matriarch

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matriarch

matriarch (MAY-tree-ark) noun

1. A woman who is the head of a family.
2. A woman who is the founder or leader of a group or community.
3. A venerable old woman.

[From Latin matri- (mother) + Greek -arch (leader, ruler).]

Patriarch is the masculine form of this word.

"But it's the wonderful character of Eka, a matriarch whose tenacity and optimism reminded me of Steinbeck's Ma Joad."
Since Otar Left; Magnetic Island News (Australia); Feb 2, 2005.

"Conservative enough to be worn to work and designed with enough youthful energy to be worn out for a night on the town, these designs, according to house matriarch Miuccia Prada, represent what men really want from fashion."
Cristoph Mark; All's Fine And Dandy in Milan; Daily Yomiuri (Tokyo, Japan); Jan 24, 2005.

See more usage examples of matriarch in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

This week's theme: feminine and masculine forms of words.

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