adjective
- tracing descent through only one parental line, either maternal or paternal
Usage: anthropology; sociology
Examples
- Many traditional societies follow unilineal descent patterns.
- The tribe practices unilineal inheritance through the father’s line.
- Unilineal kinship systems are common in patriarchal cultures.
- Anthropologists study both unilineal and bilateral descent systems.
- The family’s unilineal tradition dates back centuries.
- Unilineal descent can be either patrilineal or matrilineal.