matrilineal Matrilineages are unilineal descent groups that claim real or fictive kinship through maternal ties to a common ancestress through known genealogical links. In matrilineal systems, inheritance is traced from the maternal uncle (mother's brother) to the nephew (mother's son). The tendency is to preserve the economic and political identity of the sibling group. The means by which this is ensured entail control of women's labour, sexuality, and reproductive powers, by distributing them between husbands and brothers. Matriliny should thus never be considered as a system which somehow empowers women–and should not be confused with matriarchy.

mat·ri·lin·e·al / ˌmatrəˈlinēəl; ˌmā-/ • adj. of or based on kinship with the mother or the female line.DERIVATIVES: mat·ri·lin·e·al·ly adv.