bilateral descent

noun

Descent traced from all biological descendants, regardless of sex and side of the family.

“Only by bilateral descent is a boy related to his mother's grandfather.”

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Meanings

nounbilateral descent (usually uncountable, plural bilateral descents)

plural bilateral descents

  1. uncountableusuallyDescent traced from all biological descendants, regardless of sex and side of the family.
  2. uncountableusuallyDescent traced from an ancestor, regardless of sex and side of the family of the intervening generations.

    Only by bilateral descent is a boy related to his mother's grandfather.

Cite this entry
APA

bilateral descent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bilateral%20descent

MLA

“bilateral descent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bilateral%20descent. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bilateral descent,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bilateral%20descent.

Source: bilateral descent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.