A matriarch is a woman who sits at the top of a family or a group, and people wait on her word. She is often older — a grandmother, a great-aunt, the woman you still ring before a wedding or a funeral — but age alone is not the point. Plenty of older women are not matriarchs.

A matriarchmatriarch(女族長) is a woman who sits at the top of a family or a group是一個站在家族或團體最頂端的女性, and people wait on her word，大家都聽她的話。 She is often older她通常年紀比較大 — a grandmother, a great-aunt, the woman you still ring before a wedding or a funeral ———像是阿嬤、姑婆，那種在婚禮或喪禮前你還會打電話問她意見的女性—— but age alone is not the point但光是年紀大並不是重點。 Plenty of older women are not matriarchs很多年紀大的女性並不是matriarch。

The word is about power: she decides, or at least nothing important goes ahead unless she can live with it. You hear it about families, and also about groups that feel like families — a company, a street, a church. Papers like it because it sounds strong and a little old.

The word is about power這個字的重點是權力: she decides：她做決定, or at least nothing important goes ahead unless she can live with it，或者至少任何重要的事，除非她能接受，否則不會進行。 You hear it about families你會聽到這個字用在家族上, and also about groups that feel like families，也會用在感覺像家族的團體上 — a company, a street, a church——一間公司、一條街、一個教會。 Papers like it報紙喜歡用這個字 because it sounds strong and a little old因為聽起來強勢又有點古老的味道。

Biologists use it too: the oldest female elephant who leads the herd is a matriarch, same idea with animals.

Biologists use it too生物學家也會用這個字: the oldest female elephant who leads the herd is a matriarch：帶領象群的那頭年紀最大的母象，也叫做matriarch, same idea with animals，用在動物身上是同樣的概念。

Though actually, people sometimes stretch it to mean any older woman who talks a lot at dinner. That is looser than the tidy meaning, and it can sound unkind, as if bossy were the same as in charge.

Though actually, people sometimes stretch it不過其實，人們有時候會把這個字用得更寬鬆 to mean any older woman who talks a lot at dinner拿來指任何在飯桌上很愛講話的年長女性。 That is looser than the tidy meaning這種用法比整齊的原意更鬆散, and it can sound unkind，而且可能聽起來不太友善, as if bossy were the same as in charge，好像bossy(愛指揮人)跟in charge(當家做主)是同一件事。

Compare patriarch, which is the same job on the father's side. A family can have both, or neither.

Compare patriarch相對的是patriarch(男族長), which is the same job on the father's side，做的是父系那一邊同樣的角色。 A family can have both, or neither一個家族可以兩個都有，也可以兩個都沒有。