AVUNCULATE

special relationship between a man and his sister's children, particularly her sons, which prevails in many societies, notably those characterized by matrilineal descent. The term is derived from the Latin avunculus, meaning uncle. It typically involves for the uncle a measure of authority over his nephews, coupled with specific responsibilities in their upbringing, initiation, and marriage. The nephew, in turn, often enjoys special rights against his uncle's property, frequently taking precedence in inheritance over his uncle's children. Not infrequently, a nephew has a preferential right or obligation to marry a daughter of his maternal unclea form of cross-cousin marriage. In many matrilineal societies, an arrangement known as avunculocal residence obtains, in which boys leave their natal homes during adolescence and join the household of one of their mother's brothers. Girls remain at home until they marry, at which time they move to their husbands' households. Hence, in a long-established avunculocal joint family, a man dwells with his wife, his unmarried daughters and preadolescent sons, some of his sisters' adolescent sons, and some of his sisters' married sons with their wives, preadolescent sons, and daughters.