patriarchal

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   relating to a social system in which men hold primary power and authority

   The reform challenged patriarchal rules that excluded women from owning property.

2. 2
   adj

   relating to a patriarch, male family head, or system of descent through the male line

   Inheritance followed the patriarchal line from father to eldest son.

3. 3
   adj

   having the venerable or commanding appearance associated with an elderly male leader

   The novelist was photographed with a long beard and a patriarchal air.

From Late Latin patriarchalis, from patriarcha ('patriarch') + -alis. Patriarch ultimately comes from Greek patriarkhēs, combining patria ('lineage or family,' from patēr, 'father') + arkhein ('to rule'). The social-system sense developed from the authority of a male family head.

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