Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

matrilineal

/ˌmeɪtɹɪˈlɪnɪəl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.20 in modern English

Syllables: ma-tri-lin-eal
IPA: /ˌmeɪtɹɪˈlɪnɪəl/

13

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

5

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Tracing descent only through female ancestors.

Example Sentences

"Kerala traditionally has matrilineal inheritance."
"Enkidu expresses the values of nature, matrilineal conservatism, and the populism of the assembly, the assembly of village elders from the days before military dictatorship."
"This female hyena also gets erections and is larger, more aggressive than the male hyenas and lives in matrilineal clans of up to 80 individuals governed by an alpha female matriarch."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr Proto-Italic *mātēr Latin māterder. English matri- English lineal English matrilineal From matri- + lineal. Coined by British government anthropologist Northcote Whitridge Thomas in 1904 along with patrilineal.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: matri-

Derived Forms

matrilinealism matrilineality matrilineally nonmatrilineal

Phrases

matrilineal descent matrilineal line matrilineal lineage

Frequently Paired Words

matrilateral matriline

Synonyms

matrilinear

Antonyms

patrilineal

Rhymes With

lineal patrilineal

Questions

How do you pronounce matrilineal?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌmeɪtɹɪˈlɪnɪəl/.
What does matrilineal mean?: Tracing descent only through female ancestors.
Where does matrilineal come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr Proto-Italic *mātēr Latin māterder. English matri- English lineal English matrilineal From matri- + lineal. Coined by British government anthropologist Northcote Whitridge Thomas in 1904 along with patrilineal.

How to pronounce matrilineal

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