Legal Definitions - agnatio

Agnatio

Agnatio is a term from Roman law that refers to kinship through the male line, which may or may not involve blood ties. It is an affiliation of free persons of either sex in the power of the senior living male or of a male who would be in his power if he were living. This relationship can be created either by adoption or by a blood relationship traced solely through the male side of a family.

An example of agnatio is when a man adopts a child and that child becomes part of his family's agnatic line. Another example is when a family traces their ancestry through their male ancestors only, and their kinship is based on this agnatic line.

These examples illustrate how agnatio is a way of establishing kinship through the male line, regardless of blood ties. It shows how adoption and tracing ancestry through male ancestors can create an agnatic relationship.