matrilineal

adjective

ma·​tri·​lin·​eal ˌma-trə-ˈli-nē-əl 

ˌmā-

: relating to, based on, or tracing descent through the maternal line

matrilineal society

matrilineally

ˌma-trə-ˈli-nē-ə-lē 

ˌmā-

adverb

Did you know?

A person's lineage is his or her line of ancestors. So matrilineal means basically "through the mother's line", just as patrilineal means "through the father's line". Matrilineality is an important concept in anthropology; among other things, it usually determines who will inherit property on a person's death. Though families that follow the European model take the father's name and are therefore patrilineal, matrilineal societies have existed around the world, including among various American Indian tribes.

Examples of matrilineal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Young women are no longer continuing this matrilineal tradition; the current group of Haenyeo divers, with an average age of around 70 years, may represent the last generation, the researchers noted in the study. —Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 7 May 2025

The role of the matriarch and the matrilineal qualities of Indigenous peoples have been colonized so much in other depictions of the Western genre. —Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Jan. 2025

However, this genetic and skeletal evidence implies that women were likely influential and could have been shaping group identity through matrilineal lines. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2025

Each portrait was a depiction of a member of Baade’s matrilineal family, mostly women, and all of whom were born or lived between 1690-1740. —Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for matrilineal

• finial
• lineal
• patrilineal

Medical Definition

matrilineal

adjective

ma·​tri·​lin·​eal ˌma-trə-ˈlin-ē-əl  ˌmā- 

: relating to, based on, or tracing descent through the maternal line

a matrilineal society