Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Patriarchy \Pa"tri*arch`y\, n. [Gr. ?.]
   1. The jurisdiction of a patriarch; patriarchship.
      --Brerewood.

   2. Government by a patriarch; patriarchism.

Source : WordNet®

patriarchy
     n : a form of social organization in which a male is the family
         head and title is traced through the male line [syn: {patriarchate}]