matri-

1. a combining form meaning “mother,” used in the formation of compound words:

   matrilineal.

matri-

combining_form

1. mother or motherhood

   matriarchy

Word History and Origins

Origin of matri-¹

< Latin, combining form of māter mother ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of matri-¹

from Latin māter mother

Example Sentences

According to the club, Bain potentially began as "an elevator boy" and eventually worked his way up to Club's Matri d'.

From Salon

Claud Adjapong broke the deadlock in the 59th minute with his second league goal and substitute Alessandro Matri made it 2-0 with his 91st strike in Serie A.

From Washington Times

The 34-year-old Matri came on for his first appearance of the season, with three minutes remaining, and also had time to hit the post.

From Washington Times

Officials in Tunisia have traditionally been unsympathetic toward battered women, often telling them to go back to their husbands, said Khaoula Matri, a sociologist who worked on violence against women in Tunisia.

From New York Times

Forward Alessandro Matri joined the club from AC Milan and will share the scoring duties with 22-year-old Domenico Berardi, who was signed from Juventus and is considered one of Italy’s best young strikers.

From Washington Times

Words That Use matri-

What does matri- mean?

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 māter, 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 patri-. Check out our Words That Use article for patri- to learn more.

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

What 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.

Examples of matri-

An example of a word you may have encountered that features matri- is 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.”

What 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)

What 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.

Break it down!

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