Main Entry: pa·tri·ar·chy

Pronunciation: \-ˌär-kē\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural pa·tri·ar·chies

Date: 1632

1 : social organization marked by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family, the legal dependence of wives and children, and the reckoning of descent and inheritance in the male line; broadly : control by men of a disproportionately large share of power
2 : a society or institution organized according to the principles or practices of patriarchy