/pay"tree ahr'kee/ , n. , pl. patriarchies .
1. a form of social organization in which the father is the supreme authority in the family, clan, or tribe and descent is reckoned in the male line, with the children belonging to the father's clan or tribe.
2. a society, community, or country based on this social organization.
[ 1555-65; patriarchía. See PATRIARCH, -Y 3 ]