Table of Contents
Definition of Ambilineal Descent
(noun) Tracing an individual’s descent either through the father or mother as chosen by the individual.
Example of Ambilineal Descent
- The people of the Gilbert Islands traditionally practiced ambilineal descent as described by Bernd Lambert (1932) in “Ambilineal Descent Groups in the Northern Gilbert Islands.”
Ambilineal Descent Pronunciation
Syllabification: am·bi·lin·e·al de·scent
Audio Pronunciation
Usage Notes
- Plural: ambilineal descents
- The decision between tracing descent through the father’s line or mother’s line is often determined based on status or inheritance.
- A type of unilineal descent system.
- Also called ambilineality.
Additional Information
Related Terms
- bilateral descent
- bilineal descent
- clan
- descendant
- descent group
- generation
- kinship
- lineage
- marriage
- moiety
- phratry
Works Consulted
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Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Cite the Definition of Ambilineal Descent
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “ambilineal descent.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 18, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/ambilineal-descent/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
ambilineal descent. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/ambilineal-descent/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “ambilineal descent.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 18, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/ambilineal-descent/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“ambilineal descent.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/ambilineal-descent/>.