/ ˌmætrɪˈlɪniəl; NAmE / adjective
( technical ) used to describe the relationship between mother and children that continues in a family with each generation, or sth that is based on this relationship :
She traced her family history by matrilineal descent (= starting with her mother, her mother's mother, etc.) .
—compare patrilineal
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WORD ORIGIN
early 20th cent.: from Latin mater , matr- mother + lineal .