Meanings
nounmatriliny (countable and uncountable, plural matrilinies)
plural matrilinies
- countableuncountableMatrilineal society.
In this confrontation between the earth man and the sky god, another ancient battle is implied: Enkidu has become the mother's brother, the protector of the matriliny, and therefore the defender of the bride.
1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 191
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of matrilineality.
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Cite this entry
APA
matriliny. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/matriliny
MLA
“matriliny.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/matriliny. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “matriliny,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/matriliny.
Source: matriliny on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.