Anthropological Terms
Kinship Terms
Affine
Related by marriage.
Agnatic Descent
Descent traced through males only.
Agnatic Kin
Persons of either sex related through males.
Clan
A category of persons of both sexes, membership wherein membership is determined by cognatic descent traced back to the apical founder.
Clan Association (or Phratry)
A classification unit larger than a clan that is based on some notion or recognition of relationship based on two or more clans.
Clan Unit
A particular section of a clan whose members trace their descent to the apical founder of the clan through either a male or female sibling of the apical ancestor.
Cognatic Descent
Descent is traced through all progenitors, male and female, through both parents.
Cognatic Kin
Persons of either sex related through both males and females.
Uterine Descent
(Non-agnatic) descent traced through females only.
Uterine Kin
Persons of either sex related through females.
Marriage Terms
Bride-wealth (or Bride-price)
Marriage payment made by the husband or husband’s social unit to the wife’s social unit.
Exogamy
Marriage outside one’s social unit.
Monogamy
Marriage of one man to one woman.
Polygny
A form of polygamy wherein one man marries two or more women at the same time.