matrilaterally
- adverb
- /ˌmætrɪˈlætərəli/
- Specialized
- These traditions were passed down matrilaterally, emphasizing the vital role of mothers in their culture.
Examples
-
By severing or restricting the ties of matrilaterally affiliated clan members to their land, the new ideology unraveled the bundles of mutual rights and obligations among people who had been co-owners.
Academic text (1991) -
Nuer fission did not have the results it had among the Dinka because matrilaterally related groups preferred to retain their own patrilineally defined autonomy.
Academic text (1990) -
The family reunion celebrated everyone who is matrilaterally connected, highlighting the importance of maternal ancestry.
-
In her research, she focused on the matrilaterally inherited traits that had shaped her family's history.
Synonyms
1
5.6
Comes from the mother, as when a trait passes only through mothers
1
9.3
In a way that follows the mother's family line
Surface Forms
Morphology
matrilaterally = matrilateral (semi-transparent) = matri + lateral + ly
Forming an adverb from the adjective 'matrilateral' with the productive suffix '-ly' is a straightforward, transparent derivation.
Etymology
Matrilaterally comes from matri- meaning 'mother', like the word maternal, and lateral meaning 'side'. So it means 'on the mother's side', which is why we use it for family lines or inheritance traced through the mother.