matriarchs
Clans' leading women
Matriarchs is the plural of matriarch—a woman who heads a family, clan, or tribe.
The term often applies to the eldest or most respected woman in a lineage: The family matriarchs gathered for the holiday.
More broadly, matriarch describes any woman of authority or influence within a group or institution: She was one of the matriarchs of the civil rights movement.
Female name, Hebrew origin
- RebeccaHebrew name meaning "captivating"
- RachelFemale given name
- LeahBiblical matriarch's name
- biblicalOf sacred texts
covenant · Genesis · Judaism · Torah · faith tradition · Abrahamic · promised land · barrenness
Mother of a parent
- elderSenior figure of authority
- ancestorPredecessor in lineage
- clan motherFemale kinship group leader
- head of householdFamily's chief decision-maker
dowager · great-grandmother · inheritance · succession · dynasty · bloodline · generational · family tree
Senior community authority figure
- queen motherFormer consort, now maternal
- village headLeader of small community
- chieftainessFemale head of tribe
- council of eldersAdvisory body of seniors
ceremonial role · wisdom keeper · decision maker · oral tradition · respect · veneration · tribal council · hereditary power
Grandmother, in Spanish
- nonnaItalian for grandmother
- babushkaTriangular cloth head covering
- respected elderRevered older person
- family honorCollective reputation of relatives
ancestral wisdom · storyteller · cultural memory · extended family · multigenerational · filial piety · reverence
Group of tusked mammals
- alpha femaleDominant woman in group
- pack leaderDominant animal in group
- troop leaderYouth group supervisor
- whale podGroup of cetaceans
orca · bonobo · lioness · herd behavior · social hierarchy · nursing
Sarah
Female name, Hebrew origin
biblical · covenant · Genesis · Judaism · Torah · faith tradition · Abrahamic · promised land · barrenness · blessing
grandmother
Mother of a parent
- elderSenior figure of authority
- ancestorPredecessor in lineage
- clan motherFemale kinship group leader
head of household · dowager · great-grandmother · inheritance · succession · dynasty · bloodline · generational · family tree · kinship
tribal elder
Senior community authority figure
- queen motherFormer consort, now maternal
- village headLeader of small community
- chieftainessFemale head of tribe
council of elders · ceremonial role · wisdom keeper · decision maker · oral tradition · respect · veneration · tribal council · hereditary power
abuela
Grandmother, in Spanish
- nonnaItalian for grandmother
- babushkaTriangular cloth head covering
- respected elderRevered older person
family honor · ancestral wisdom · storyteller · cultural memory · extended family · multigenerational · filial piety · reverence
elephant herd
Group of tusked mammals
- alpha femaleDominant woman in group
- pack leaderDominant animal in group
- troop leaderYouth group supervisor
whale pod · orca · bonobo · lioness · herd behavior · social hierarchy · nursing
- womenmothers, women, females, gals, daughters
- notable womenRosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Florence Nightingale, Susan B. Anthony
- ancestorsancestor, ancestors, forebears, forebear, forbear
- Ancient IsraelIsraelites, Jerusalem, Israel, twelve tribes, Judea
- Hebrew BibleTanakh, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers
- TorahGenesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
matriarchspatriarchs
Male ancestral leaders
forefathers · paterfamilias · fathers · grandfathers · founding fathers
matriarchsdescendants
Those who come after
progeny · offspring · grandchildren · children · juniors
- matriarchal societyFemale-dominated social order