# matrilineal

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˌmeɪtɹɪˈlɪnɪəl/ · frequency rank #75,189

## Definitions
1. Tracing descent only through female ancestors.

## Etymology
From matri- + lineal. Coined by British government anthropologist Northcote Whitridge Thomas in 1904 along with patrilineal.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/matrilineal