Cognatic descent traces lineage through both the father's and mother's sides of the family. It contrasts with agnatic descent (tracing only through the father's line) and uterine descent (tracing only through the mother's line).

Here's a breakdown:

* Agnatic: Tracing descent through the male line only.

* Uterine: Tracing descent through the female line only.

* Cognatic: Tracing descent through both the male and female lines.

Many societies and cultures utilize cognatic inheritance patterns for things like property, titles, or social status.