Definition of Moiety
(noun) One of two descent groups in a tribe or society.
Moiety Pronunciation
Syllabification: moi·e·ty
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /mOI-uh-tee/
- British English – /mOI-uh-tee/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈmɔɪədi/
- British English – /ˈmɔɪᵻti/
Usage Notes
- Plural: moieties
- Typically found in unilateral descent systems. Lewis Henry Morgan’s (1818–1881) Systems of Consanguinity and Affinity in the Human Family (1871) and Claude Lévi-Strauss’ (1908–2009) The Elementary Structures of Kinship (1949) helped establish the study of kinship as a distinct field of anthropology and sociology. Morgan and Lévi-Strauss among other kinship writers were critiqued by David M. Schneider (1918–1995) in American Kinship: A Cultural Account and A Critique of the Study of Kinship (1984). Schneider’s work reinvigorated the study of kinship.
Additional Information
- Family and Kinship Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “moiety” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
Cite the Definition of Moiety
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “moiety.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved June 5, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/moiety/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
moiety. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/moiety/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “moiety.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/moiety/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“moiety.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 5 Jun. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/moiety/>.