patrilineage

English

Etymology

patri- +‎ lineage

Noun

patrilineage (countable and uncountable, plural patrilineages)

  1. A group of descendants related through a common male lineage.
    • 1979, Richard Elphic & Hermann Giliommee (eds.), The shaping of South African Society 1652-1820, Longman, p. 294
      By 1770, the Xhosa branch of the Nguni-speakers were organised at three levels: patrilineages, consisting of the descendants of a known common ancestor; patriclans, composed of a number of lineages, all claiming descent from a putative common ancestor; and chiefdoms which were political units, each occupying a certain area under a chief.
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