**Agnate** (noun) — A blood relative descended through male lineage only, tracing ancestry exclusively through fathers.
Agnate is an old legal term referring to relatives on your father's side of the family, traced through an unbroken male line. Your father's father's father's son, for instance, would be an agnate.
This concept has historical significance but limited practical application in modern Australian estate law, which doesn't distinguish between maternal and paternal lineage for inheritance purposes.
⏱ When you'll encounter this term
You might encounter this term in very old wills or legal documents, particularly those from British legal traditions where male-line inheritance was emphasized.
Modern intestacy laws in Australia treat maternal and paternal relatives equally. The term persists mainly in legal dictionaries and historical documents rather than active practice.
**Related terms:** Degree of Relationship, [Issue](/dictionary/issue), Collateral Descendant, [Intestate](/dictionary/intestate)
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"My father's male relatives—his brothers and their sons—are my agnates, related through the male line."