matriarch

(mā'trē-ärk')
n.

1. A woman who rules a family, clan, or tribe.
2. A woman who dominates a group or an activity.
3. A highly respected woman who is a mother.

matriarchal ma'tri·ar'chal (-är'kəl) or ma'tri·ar'chic (-är'kĭk) adj.
matriarchalism ma'tri·ar'chal·ism n.

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n

Definition: female ruler
Antonyms: patriarch

(Heb. immahot). Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah, the "full" wives of the Patriarchs and ancestors of the Jewish people. Each of these figures played a role at the dawn of Israel's history. Just as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were chosen by God to participate in the Covenant, so the matriarchs were the "chosen" rather than the accidental wives and mothers. With the exception of Sarah, the biblical narrative describes in great detail how and why each was chosen. A close reading of the text reveals the personality of each matriarch with her struggles, successes, and failures, all seeking to ensure their sons' position in the Divine plan. Deception, intrigue, and manipulation, as well as love and support, were accepted weapons. Details missing in the biblical descriptions were supplied by the rabbis in the Midrash.The matriarchs have an honored place in Jewish folk perception. Their names are invoked in the Mi She-Berakh prayer recited after the birth of a child and (in some rites) on behalf of a sick female, as well as in the Parental Blessing of daughters by the father on Sabbath eve. However, they are not mentioned in the liturgy, where God is referred to solely as the "God of our Fathers," and the "God of Abraham ... Isaac and ... Jacob." In recent years, under the impact of Jewish feminism, a conscious effort has been made by certain groups to redress what is seen as a masculine bias in the liturgy. The verbal addition of "and mothers" to the fathers, or of "and Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah" to the names of the patriarchs wherever thought appropriate (as in the opening passage of the Amidah), is not uncommon in many Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist congregations, particularly in North America. Written changes, however, are less widespread. Reform prayer books published in the United States (Gates of Prayer, 1975) and Israel (Ha-Avodah she-ba-Lev, 1981; Maḥzor Kavvanat ha-Lev 1988), as well as the American Conservative prayer book (Siddur Sim Shalom, 1985), introduced the matriarchs by name in additional, alternative versions of the Amidah.

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For a list of words related to matriarch, see:

• Kinship and Ancestry - matriarch: female, esp. mother, who rules or dominates family

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See words rhyming with "matriarch."

Dansk (Danish)
n. - matriark, kvindeligt overhoved

Nederlands (Dutch)
matriarch (vrouwelijke leider, m.n. moeder)

Français (French)
n. - femme chef de famille, matrone

Deutsch (German)
n. - Matriarch

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - γυναίκα αρχηγός οικογένειας, φατρίας, φυλής κ.λπ.

Italiano (Italian)
matriarca

Português (Portuguese)
n. - matriarca (f)

Русский (Russian)
женщина, стоящая во главе какой-л. организации, пожилая женщина, пользующаяся всеобщим уважением

Español (Spanish)
n. - matriarca

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - matriark

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
女家长, 女负责人, 女统治者

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 女家長, 女負責人, 女統治者

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 여성가장[부족장]

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 家長, 家長格の老女, 女性リーダー, 女性の家長

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الأم الرئيسيه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אם שלטת‬

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