law: Hindu Succession Act, 1956
  3. Definitions and interpretations
  (1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-
  (a) "agnate" - one person is said to
  
  be an "agnate" of another if the two are related by blood or adoption
  
  wholly through males;
  (b) "Aliyasantana law" means the
  
  system of law applicable to persons who, if this Act had not been passed, would
  
  have been governed by the Madras Aliyasantana Act, 1949, or by the customary
  
  Aliyasantana law with respect to the matters for which provision is made in
  
  this Act;
  (c) "cognate" - one person is said
  
  to be a cognate of another if the two are related by blood or adoption but not
  
  wholly through males;
  (d) the expressions "custom" and
  
  "usage" signify any rule which having been continuously and uniformly
  
  observed for a long time, has obtained the force of law among Hindus in any
  
  local area, tribe, community, group or family:
  PROVIDED that the rule is certain and not
  
  unreasonable or opposed to public policy:
  PROVIDED FURTHER that in the case of a
  
  rule applicable only to a family it has not been discontinued by the family;
  (e) "full blood", "half
  
  blood" and "uterine blood"-
  (i) two persons said to be related to each
  
  other by full blood when they are descended from a common ancestor by the same
  
  wife, and by half blood when they are descended from a common ancestor but by
  
  different wives;
  (ii) two persons are said to be related to
  
  each other by uterine blood when they are descended from a common ancestress
  
  but by different husbands;
  Explanation: In this clause
  
  "ancestor" includes the father and "ancestress" the
  
  mother, 
  (f) "heir" means any person, male or
  
  female, who is entitled to succeed to the property of an intestate under this
  
  Act;
  (g) "intestate" - a person is deemed
  
  to die intestate in respect of property of which he or she has not made a
  
  testamentary disposition capable of taking effect;
  (h) "marumakkattayam law" means the
  
  system of law applicable to persons-
  (a) who, if this Act had not been passed,
  
  would have been governed by the Madras Marumakkattayam Act, 1932; the
  
  Travancore Nayar Act; the Travancore Ezhava Act; the Travancore Nanjinad
  
  Vellala Act; the Travancore Kshatriya Act; the Travancore Krishnanvaka
  
  Marumakkathayyee Act; the Cochin Marumakkathayam Act; or the Cochin Nayar Act
  
  with respect to the matters for which provision is made in this Act; or
  (b) who belong to any community, the members
  
  of which are largely domiciled in the State of Travancore-Cochin or Madras 1[as
  
  it existed immediately before the lst November, 1956,] and who, if this Act had
  
  not been passed, would have been governed with respect to the matters for which
  
  provision is made in this Act by any system of inheritance in which descent is
  
  traced through the female line;
  but does not include the Aliyasantana law;
  (i) " Nambudri law " means the
  
  system of law applicable to persons who if this Act had not been passed, would
  
  have been governed by the Madras Nambudri Act, 1932; the Cochin Nambudri Act;
  
  or the Travancore Malayala Brahmin Act with respect to the matters for which
  
  provision is made in this Act;
  (j) "related" means related by
  
  legitimate kinship:
  PROVIDED that illegitimate children shall be deemed to
  
  be related to their mother and to one another, and their legitimate descendants
  
  shall be deemed to be related to them and to one another; and any word
  
  expressing relationship or denoting a relative shall be construed accordingly.
  (2) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, words
  
  imparting the masculine gender shall not be taken to include females.