1. relatives descended from the same male ancestor through the male line
Usage: legal; anthropological

Examples

• In Roman law, agnates had inheritance rights that cognates did not possess.
• The family tree showed all the agnates tracing back to the founding patriarch.
• Traditional societies often distinguished between agnates and maternal relatives.
• The estate was divided among the agnates according to ancient custom.
• Anthropologists study how agnates maintain clan identity across generations.
• The legal dispute involved determining which agnates had legitimate claims.