Word of the Day Archive
Sunday June 17, 2012
agnate \ag-neyt\
, noun:
1. A relative whose connection is traceable exclusively through males.
2. Any male relation on the father's side.
adjective:
1. Related or akin through males or on the father's side.
2. Allied or akin.
It was considered abomination; no agnate gives up its infant kin in Igboland, no matter the crime.
-- M. O. Ené, Blighted Blues
His uncle in the third segment was the only other agnate who shared patriotic sentiments with Yat-Kuan.
-- Saikaku Ihara, Tales of Japanese Justice
Agnate is derived from the Latin word agnātus which referred to paternal kinsmen.
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for agnate
