matriliny

English

Noun

matriliny (countable and uncountable, plural matrilinies)

1. matrilineal society
   • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 191:

     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.