English[]
Etymology[]
From Middle French maternel or post-Classical Latin māternālis (“‘maternal’”), from māternus (“‘maternal’”), from māter (“‘mother’”).
Pronunciation[]
- (UK) IPA: /məˈtəːnəl/
- (US) enPR: mə-tû(r)'nəl, IPA: /mə'təɻnəl/, SAMPA: /m@"t3:(r)n@l/
- Rhymes: -ɜː(r)nəl
Adjective[]
Maternal (comparative {{{1}}}, superlative {{{2}}})
Positive |
Comparative |
Superlative |
- Of or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother, motherly.
- His weakness seemed to bring out her maternal instincts.
- Related through the mother, or her side of the family.
- Toby is my maternal uncle.
- (anatomy, medicine) Derived from the mother as opposed to the foetus during pregnancy.
Derived terms[]
- maternal aunt
- maternal cousin
- maternal death
- maternal filicide
- maternal grandfather
- maternal grandmother
- maternal uncle
Antonyms[]
- paternal – father
Coordinate terms[]
- avuncular – uncle
- materteral – aunt
- paternal – father
Translations[]
of or pertaining to a mother
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related through the mother, or her side of the family
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
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Spanish[]
Adjective[]
Maternal m. and f. (plural maternales)
ca:maternal et:maternal fa:maternal fr:maternal ko:maternal io:maternal it:maternal kn:maternal hu:maternal ml:maternal nl:maternal pl:maternal pt:maternal ru:maternal ta:maternal te:maternal vi:maternal zh:maternal