Definition of MATRILINEAL

matrilineal

Meanings

Adjective Satellite

  • based on or tracing descent through the female line
    • "matrilineal inheritance"

Adj

  • Tracing descent only through female ancestors.

Origin / Etymology

From matri- + lineal. Coined by British government anthropologist Northcote Whitridge Thomas in 1904 along with patrilineal.

Synonyms

matrilinear

Antonyms

patrilineal

Scrabble Score: 13

matrilineal is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
matrilineal is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
matrilineal is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 17

matrilineal is a valid Words With Friends word