parentelic method
parentelic method (par-[schwa]n-tee-lik or -tel-ik). A scheme of computation used to determine the paternal or maternal collaterals entitled to inherit when a childless intestate decedent is not survived by parents or their issue. • Under this method, the estate passes to grandparents and their issue; if there are none, to great-grandparents and their issue; and so on down each line until an heir is found. The Uniform Probate Code uses a limited parentelic system: it looks first to the grandparents and their issue, but if no heir is found in that line, the search ends and the estate escheats to the state. See DEGREE(5). Cf. GRADUAL METHOD.
