Ma'tri-arch'y (ma'tri'ar'ki), n.; pl. A state or stage of social evolution in which deescent is reckoned only in the female line, all children belonging to the mother's clan. Such a system increases the mother's social and political importance, making her the head of the family and the guardian of religious rites and traditions. Hence, with many writers matriarchy means not only descent reckoned through the female line ( called uterine descent, or cognation ), but also rulership by woman. Others, however, discriminate the rights and customs characteristic of uterine descent , as mother-right ( adaptation of G. Mutterrrecht ), from the political or domestic supremacy of woman, known as gynecocracy, or gynocracy, " rulership by women, " or metrocracy, " rulership by mothers ." Matriarchy in the narrow sense (that is, as "mother-right") is found among many primitive peoples ; whether it ever existed in the broade...