patriarchy

pa·tri·arch·y

P p

Definitions of patriarchy word

noun plural patriarchy a form of social organization in which the father is the supreme authority in the family, clan, or tribe and descent is reckoned in the male line, with the children belonging to the father's clan or tribe. 1
noun plural patriarchy a society, community, or country based on this social organization. 1
noun plural patriarchy a social system in which power is held by men, through cultural norms and customs that favor men and withhold opportunity from women: The corporate glass ceiling is one consequence of patriarchy in education and business. 1
noun plural patriarchy (often initial capital letter) the men in power in a society (usually preceded by the): The Patriarchy is vested in maintenance of the status quo. 1
noun patriarchy system of fatherly authority 1
uncountable noun patriarchy Patriarchy is a system in which men have all or most of the power and importance in a society or group. 0

before 1555

One of the 31% oldest English words

From the Greek word patriarchía, dating back to 1555-65. See patriarch, -y3

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 75% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer