Final answer:
Title by descent involves the legal and cultural practice of passing down property, rights, and status to descendants along a matrilineal, patrilineal, or cognatic lines of descent.
Step-by-step explanation:
Title by descent is a legal term referring to the passing down of property, rights, and obligations to descendants after someone's death. In various cultures, different systems of tracing descent exist, such as patrilineal, matrilineal, and ambilineal descent.
In a matrilineal society, lineage and inheritance are traced through the female line. It is not uncommon for matrilineal descent to influence the passing down of titles, property, and status, with males and females inheriting through their mothers.
On the other hand, a patrilineal society traces descent through the male line, and often, only males pass on the family surname, holding esteem as permanent family members.
Unilateral descent systems like matrilineal and patrilineal descent determine societal structure, including marriage rules and inheritance. Cognatic descent is a more inclusive approach where kinship is traced through both male and female ancestors, potentially influencing title by descent in a more equitable manner.