agnatic

Agnatic is an adjective used to describe kinship or descent traced exclusively through the male line. The term derives from Latin agnatus, relating to male-line kin or paternal ancestry; in Roman law, agnates were male-line relatives who shared a common male ancestor, in contrast to cognates who could be related through females as well.

In anthropology and kinship studies, agnatic (or patrilineal) descent refers to systems where a person’s lineage, clan membership, and often inheritance are transmitted through the father’s line. In such systems, male ancestors define the extent of the lineage, and male heirs typically assume roles, privileges, or property within that lineage. Women can participate in the system through marriage or reproduction, but their children are usually considered part of the father’s agnatic lineage.

Agnatic succession is a legal or customary rule by which rights to property, titles, or throne pass through male descendants of a common male ancestor. This approach has been associated with primogeniture or cognatic adjustments in various historical contexts. A well-known example is the legal emphasis on male lines in Salic law and related European succession practices, which historically limited or excluded female transmission in certain jurisdictions.

Agnatic is often contrasted with cognatic or bilateral descent, which recognizes kinship through both male and female lines. In practice, agnatic systems emphasize male-propagated lineages and can influence naming, inheritance, and social organization within a culture.