stem family

noun

A family system in which a couple's firstborn child lives with them in the family home, and that child's spouse moves into the home of said in-laws, so that the younger couple's children are raised in the home of their grandparents. Usually, the younger offspring move out upon marriage. The inheritance, depending on the culture, may or may not be the most favorable to the firstborn.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounstem family (plural stem families)

plural stem families

  1. anthropologyA family system in which a couple's firstborn child lives with them in the family home, and that child's spouse moves into the home of said in-laws, so that the younger couple's children are raised in the home of their grandparents. Usually, the younger offspring move out upon marriage. The inheritance, depending on the culture, may or may not be the most favorable to the firstborn.
Cite this entry
APA

stem family. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stem%20family

MLA

“stem family.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stem%20family. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stem family,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stem%20family.

Source: stem family on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.