patriarchy

CEFRB2

/ˈpejtɹiɑɹki/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A social system in which men hold most power.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A power structure in which men are dominant.

Examples

  • Patriarchy is seen by some ideological groups as necessary for society.

  • The woman said: “Men are amazing. All hail the patriarchy”.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1

Also pronounced

  • /ˈpætɹɪɑːkɪ/
  • /ˈpeɪ̯tɹɪɑːkɪ/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The office of a patriarch; a patriarchate.

  2. 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.

More examples

In context

  • England is under the rule of a patriarchy.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The country's old strict blank kept women from voting for many years.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.