patrilineal Hear it!

patrilineal Definition

pat·ri·lin·eal (pa′trə linē əl, pātrə-)

adjective

designating or of descent, kinship, or derivation through the father instead of the mother

Etymology: patri- + lineal

patrilineal Related Forms

pat′·ri·lin·eal·ly adverb

patrilineal Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • descent: Each of the above kinship units is based, at least in principle, on patrilineal descent from a common male ancestor.
  • group: Within the village, the men of these households form patrilineal kinship groups, which with hesitation I call lineages.
  • system: At the core of village organization is a segmentary, exogamous, patrilineal lineage system.
  • society: In contrast to the social equality of the Celtic Picts and Scots, the Germanic Angles and Saxons were patriarchal and patrilineal societies.
  • clan: The kinship system is based on marriage alliances linking lineages of patrilineal clans called marga.
  • kin: The most important, although not always the most conspicuous, groups among the men are the groups of patrilineal kin.