# matriarch

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmeɪtɹɪˌɑːk/ · frequency rank #41,243

## Definitions
1. A female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group.
2. A female leader of a family, a tribe or an ethnic or religious group.
3. A female founder of a political or religious movement, an organization or an enterprise.

## Etymology
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.

## Common misspellings (14)
`amtriarch`, `martiarch`, `matirarch`, `matrairch`, `matriacrh`, `matriarcch`, `matriarchh`, `matriarhc`, `matriarrch`, `matrirach`, `matrriarch`, `mattriarch`, `mmatriarch`, `mtariarch`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/matriarch