Home > U Words > unilineal descent

unilineal descent

Definition of Unilineal Descent

(noun) Tracing an individual’s descent either through the father (patrilineal) or mother (matrilineal), but never both.

Types of Unilineal Descent

Unilineal Descent Pronunciation

Syllabification: u·ni·lin·e·al de·scent

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Usage Notes

  • Plural: unilineal descents
  • This is a simplified definition of a vast continuum of societal and cultural practices.
  • In contrast to unilineal descent, nonunilineal descent (also called cognatic descent) traces descent through the father or mother.
  • Variant spelling: uni-lineal descent
  • Also called:
    • unilateral descent
    • unilineage
    • unilineality

Additional Information

Related Terms


Works Consulted

Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Bilton, Tony, Kevin Bonnett, Pip Jones, David Skinner, Michelle Stanworth, and Andrew Webster. 1996. Introductory Sociology. 3rd ed. London: Macmillan.

Ferrante, Joan. 2011. Sociology: A Global Perspective. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Hughes, Michael, and Carolyn J. Kroehler. 2011. Sociology: The Core. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Kendall, Diana. 2011. Sociology in Our Times. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Kimmel, Michael S., and Amy Aronson. 2012. Sociology Now. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Schaefer, Richard. 2013. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Scott, John, and Gordon Marshall. 2005. A Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Shepard, Jon M. 2010. Sociology. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Shepard, Jon M., and Robert W. Greene. 2003. Sociology and You. New York: Glencoe.

Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Turner, Bryan S., ed. 2006. The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).

Cite the Definition of Unilineal Descent

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “unilineal descent.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 28, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/unilineal-descent/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

unilineal descent. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/unilineal-descent/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “unilineal descent.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/unilineal-descent/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“unilineal descent.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/unilineal-descent/>.