matrilineal
/ˌmeɪtɹɪˈlɪnɪəl/adjective
matrilineal is spelled M-A-T-R-I-L-I-N-E-A-L: 11 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 74,980th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, matrilineal means “Tracing descent only through female ancestors” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in matrilineal?
| Letters | 11: M-A-T-R-I-L-I-N-E-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 74,980th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is matrilineal?
Matrilineal appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 74,980th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce matrilineal?
- /ˌmeɪtɹɪˈlɪnɪəl/
- /ˌmætɹɪ-/
Matrilineal has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does matrilineal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Tracing descent only through female ancestors.
Kerala traditionally has matrilineal inheritance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Matrilineal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Tracing descent only through female ancestors:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | matrilinéaire |
| Spanish | matrilineal |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does matrilineal come from?
From matri- + lineal. Coined by British government anthropologist Northcote Whitridge Thomas in 1904 along with patrilineal.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).