adjective
- relating to or based on relationship to the father or descent through the male line
Usage: anthropology; sociology
Examples
- Many traditional societies follow patrilineal inheritance systems.
- The family name is passed down through patrilineal descent.
- In patrilineal cultures, children typically belong to their father’s clan.
- The tribe’s patrilineal structure determines leadership succession.
- Property rights were established along patrilineal lines.
- Anthropologists study both patrilineal and matrilineal kinship systems.