patrilineale

Patrilineale, in English commonly called patrilineal descent, is a system in anthropology in which membership in a lineage, clan, or family is traced through the male line from father to son. In a patrilineal framework, a person is typically considered to belong to their father’s lineage, and that lineage determines certain social ties, rights, and responsibilities.

In patrilineal systems, inheritance of property, titles, or leadership often follows the male line. Daughters may marry into a husband's lineage, and sons commonly continue the family line and carry the lineage name. While patrilineality emphasizes descent through men, actual practices can vary widely, and some societies combine patrilineal descent with other kinship rules or with cognatic elements that also recognize maternal ancestry to some degree.

Patrilineal descent is distinct from matrilineal descent, where lineage membership and inheritance are traced through the female line, and from bilateral or cognatic systems that recognize both parents’ lines. It is not inherently linked to residence patterns, though many patrilineal societies are patrilocal, with wives moving to husbands’ communities, and many also organize clan or lineage structures around male ancestry.

The concept derives from Latin roots referencing father and lineage and is used across many languages and cultures to describe a common pattern in social organization. Patrilineal arrangements have been widespread historically in various regions of Africa, Asia, and Europe, and elements of patrilineal descent continue to influence contemporary kinship and inheritance practices in numerous societies.