matri-

The combining form matri- is used like a prefix meaning “mother.” It is used in a variety of everyday and scientific terms, especially in anthropology.

The form matri- comes from Latin ����ٱ��, meaning “mother.” The word matrix, which has various meanings, including “womb,” comes from this same Latin root, as does matron, “a married woman.”

The “father” counterpart to matri- is . Check out our Words That Use article for patri- to learn more.

The Greek cognate of Latin ����ٱ�� is ��ḗtŧ��, also meaning “mother,” which is the source of words such as , a term that literally means “mother city.” Find out more at our entries for matrix, matron, and metropolis.

������ are variants of matri-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, matri- becomes matr-, as in matral. Another rare variant of matri- is matro-, as in matrocliny. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for each of these forms.

An example of a word you may have encountered that features matri- ������matrilineal, “inheriting or determining descent through the female line.”

We know matri- means “mother,” while the -lineal portion refers to “line,” from Latin līneālis. Matrilineal literally translates to “mother’s line.”

������ are some words that use the combining form matri-?

• matriarch
• matriarchy
• matricide (using the equivalent form of matri- in Latin)
• matrilocal
• matrimony (using the equivalent form of matri- in Latin)

������ are some other forms that matri- may be commonly confused with?

• mast-
• masto-
• metr-
• metro-
• micro-

Not every word that begins with the exact letters matri- or matr-, such as matrass or matriculate, is necessarily using the combining form matri- to denote “mother.” Learn why matriculate means “to enroll” at our entry for the word.

The combining form -archy means “rule” or “government.” With this in mind, what is a matriarchy?