matriliny: Meaning and Definition of

mat•ri•lin•y

Pronunciation: (ma'tru-lin"ē, -lī"nē, mā'-), [key]
— pl. -lin•ies.
  1. the tracing of descent through the mother's line of a family.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.