patrilineally

Patrilineally is an adverb describing descent or kinship traced through the male line. In anthropology, patrilineal descent, or patriliny, refers to a social system in which an individual's identity within kinship groups, inheritance, and succession is determined by their father and paternal ancestors.

Descent groups, or patrilines, are formed by the male line. Within such systems, membership in a lineage is typically transmitted from father to children—especially sons—and social ties to the birth family are maintained through the paternal line. Daughters may still belong to their natal lineage, but they usually do not pass their lineage membership to their own children in patrilineal societies.

Patrilineality is often accompanied by other related patterns, such as patrilocal residence (wives joining the husband’s household after marriage) and the transmission of property, titles, or clan membership along the paternal line. The specifics vary by culture, and patrilineal systems can differ in how strictly they enforce male-line membership, inheritance, and leadership.

Patrilineality is contrasted with matrilineality (descent through the mother) and with cognatic or ambilineal systems that recognize descent through either parent. In modern studies, genetics can be used to trace patrilineal lineages through the Y chromosome, which is passed from father to son, though social descent may diverge from biological descent due to adoption, marriage practices, or political arrangements.