English edit

Noun edit

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.