patrilineal

adjective

pat·​ri·​lin·​eal ˌpa-trə-ˈli-nē-əl How to pronounce patrilineal (audio)
: relating to, based on, or tracing descent through the paternal line
a patrilineal society

Examples of patrilineal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The findings also show that like other Neolithic families, those in the passage tombs were patrilineal—the men were typically related to each other whereas adult women had no genetic kin in the tombs. Andrew Curry, science.org, 10 July 2024 Name extinction is also a naturally occurring phenomenon called the Galton-Watson process, which posits that in patrilineal societies, surnames are lost or die out over time with each new generation as women take on their husbands’ surnames. Chris Lau, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024 Of the 1291 populations defined in the 2019 study, 590 were patrilineal. Eliza Anyangwe and Melissa Mahtani, CNN, 3 Aug. 2023 The individual variability was also much higher in the patrilineal society, for both genders. Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 1 Sep. 2011 See all Example Sentences for patrilineal 

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of patrilineal was in 1904

Dictionary Entries Near patrilineal

Cite this Entry

“Patrilineal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patrilineal. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

patrilineal

adjective
pat·​ri·​lin·​eal ˌpa-trə-ˈlin-ē-əl How to pronounce patrilineal (audio)
: relating to, based on, or tracing descent through the paternal line
patrilineal society
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