unilateral descent
- noun
- /ˌjunɪˈlætərəl dɪˈsɛnt/
- Specialized
:
descendencia unilateral
- In a unilateral descent system, children belong exclusively to either their mother's or father's family line.
Examples
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Some societies recognize unilateral descent as the primary basis for inheritance and kinship.
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Anthropologists study cultures that use unilateral descent to determine clan membership.
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Many cultures practice unilateral descent to define family ties.
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In societies with unilateral descent, inheritance often follows one parent's lineage.
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In a unilateral descent system, children belong exclusively to either their mother's or father's family line.
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Some societies recognize unilateral descent as the primary basis for inheritance and kinship.
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In societies with unilateral descent, inheritance often follows one parent's lineage.
Antonyms
How One-Sided
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally clear: 'unilateral' means one-sided or from one side, and 'descent' means lineage or ancestry, so the combined meaning is lineage traced through one side/parent. This adjective+noun pattern is regular and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the intended anthropological sense.
Etymology
Unilateral descent is like choosing one family tree to follow — imagine you only trace your mother's branch or only your father's branch. Because unilateral means 'one-sided' and descent means 'family line', the term refers to tracing a person's family through only one parent's line.
