matriarch
/ˈmeɪtɹiɑɹk/noun
matriarch is spelled M-A-T-R-I-A-R-C-H: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, matriarch means “A female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of matriarch is matriarchs.
How many letters and syllables are in matriarch?
| Letters | 9: M-A-T-R-I-A-R-C-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 41,154th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is matriarch?
Matriarch appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce matriarch?
- UK /ˈmeɪtɹɪˌɑːk/
- US /ˈmeɪtɹiɑɹk/
Matriarch has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-matriarch.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with matriarch?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as matriarch from its last stressed vowel (/eɪtɹiɑɹk/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of matriarch
- matriarchs plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does matriarch mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group.
- 2
The dominant female in a family group of elephants.
- 3
A strong and domineering older woman; a battle axe.
- 4
A female founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Matriarch in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | matriarche |
| German | Matriarchin |
| Portuguese | matriarca |
| Spanish | matriarca |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does matriarch come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).