patriarchy
/ˈpejtɹiɑɹki/noun
patriarchy is spelled P-A-T-R-I-A-R-C-H-Y: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, patriarchy means “A social system in which the father is head of the household, having authority over women and children, and in which lineage is traced through the…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of patriarchy is patriarchies.
How many letters and syllables are in patriarchy?
| Letters | 10: P-A-T-R-I-A-R-C-H-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 24,745th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is patriarchy?
Patriarchy appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th 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 patriarchy?
- US /ˈpejtɹiɑɹki/
- UK /ˈpeɪ̯tɹɪɑːkɪ/
- UK /ˈpætɹɪɑːkɪ/
Patriarchy has 4 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-patriarchy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of patriarchy
- patriarchies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does patriarchy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A social system in which the father is head of the household, having authority over women and children, and in which lineage is traced through the male line.
- 2
A power structure in which men are dominant.
- 3
The office of a patriarch; a patriarchate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Patriarchy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense social system:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | patriarcat |
| German | Patriarchat |
| Portuguese | patriarcado, patriarquia |
| Spanish | patriarcado |
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 patriarchy come from?
From Latin patriarchia, from Byzantine Greek πατριαρχία (patriarkhía), from Koine Greek πατριάρχης (patriárkhēs, “patriarch”), from πατρία (patría) and ἄρχω (árkhō). By surface analysis, patri- + -archy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).