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Glite Dictionary
matrilinear

matrilinear

9.8
Family descent and inheritance that follow the mother's line
  • adjective
  • /ˌmætrɪˈlɪniər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : matrilineal
  • Indeed, the positions women enjoyed in ancient Egypt's matrilinear society were unusual for their time and for ours as well.

Examples

  • In a matrilinear system, inheritance is passed down through the mother rather than the father.

  • Girls and women explain kinship in matrilinear terms, with the main diachronic division concentrating on age-group membership (Simchenko 1963, 170).

    Academic text (2000)

  • The tribe's matrilinear customs emphasized the importance of maternal relationships in their culture.

  • Her family follows a matrilinear tradition, ensuring that properties are inherited by the daughters.

Synonyms

maternal
vsmatrilinear
20 3.7

From the mother's side of the family or inherited from the mother

is strictly about lineage traced through the female line rather than general motherly relation
matrilineal
vsmatrilinear
  • Specialized
1 8.5

Family descent and inheritance follow the mother's line

is the alternative form that differs in suffix and spelling only
matriarchic
vsmatrilinear
8.6

A society or family led by women where children belong to the mother's family

focuses only on ancestry traced through the female line rather than leadership

Antonyms

patrilinear
  • Specialized
9.1

Family descent that follows fathers to their sons

Surface Forms

matrilinear positive

Morphology

matrilinear = matrilineal (semi-transparent) = matri + line + ar

The suffix '-ar' is a variation of '-al', and the meaning is closely related to 'matrilineal'.

Etymology

Matrilinear comes from the part matri- meaning 'mother' and the part line meaning 'line' or 'family line'. So, matrilinear means that family ties or inheritance are traced along the mother's side of the family.