maternal

[ muh-tur-nl ]

/ məˈtɜr nl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR maternal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, pertaining to, having the qualities of, or befitting a mother: maternal instincts.

related through a mother: his maternal aunt.

derived from a mother: maternal genes.

Origin of maternal

1475–85; < Medieval Latin māternālis, equivalent to Latin mātern(us) ( māter mother¹ + -nus adj. suffix) + -ālis -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM maternal

ma·ter·nal·ism, noun ma·ter·nal·is·tic, adjective ma·ter·nal·ly, adverb non·ma·ter·nal, adjective

non·ma·ter·nal·ly, adverb qua·si-ma·ter·nal, adjective qua·si-ma·ter·nal·ly, adverb un·ma·ter·nal, adjective un·ma·ter·nal·ly, adverb

Words nearby maternal

materially, materials, materials handling, materials science, materiel, maternal, maternal dystocia, maternal placenta, maternalize, maternity, maternity benefit

Example sentences from the Web for maternal

Advanced maternal age dramatically increases the risk of maternal mortality as well as birth defects like Down Syndrome.

Men Will Someday Have Kids Without Women |Samantha Allen |January 3, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Genes passed down through the maternal side, though, were found to be a “perfect mitochondrial match.”

Richard III’s DNA Shows Tudors May Have No Claim to the Throne |Charlotte Lytton |December 2, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Some women who want to be mothers and have maternal love to give should have the ability to do just that.

Have Sperm, Will Travel: The ‘Natural Inseminators’ Helping Women Avoid the Sperm Bank |Elizabeth Picciuto |November 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
There were rising export numbers, education programs, and maternal health efforts.

Liberia’s Ebola Famine |Abby Haglage, Nina Strochlic |November 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

How her role became more “maternal rather than marital,” and branding Hawking an “all-powerful emperor” and “masterly puppeteer.”

The Other Side of Stephen Hawking: Strippers, Aliens, and Disturbing Abuse Claims |Marlow Stern |November 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Oswald feels no sense of present concern for maternal solicitude, but wonders at such marked indifference.

Oswald Langdon |Carson Jay Lee
Sir Robert Strange was the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Dennistoun.

Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino, Volume I (of 3) |James Dennistoun
The bride is taken into the house, and her maternal uncle sits at the entrance, and measures a new cloth, which he gives to her.

Castes and Tribes of Southern India |Edgar Thurston
She has hardly spoken when a sound of little running feet up the stairs outside sets her maternal fears at rest.

April's Lady |Margaret Wolfe Hungerford
With a faltering voice she spoke, but with the authority of maternal love and faith,—through sobs, but with authority.

The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 86, December, 1864 |Various

British Dictionary definitions for maternal

maternal

/ (məˈtɜːnəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, derived from, or characteristic of a mother

related through the mother's side of the family his maternal uncle

Derived forms of maternal

maternalism, noun maternalistic, adjective maternally, adverb

Word Origin for maternal

C15: from Medieval Latin māternālis, from Latin māternus, from māter mother

Medical definitions for maternal

maternal

[ mə-tûr′nəl ]

adj.

Relating to or characteristic of a mother.

Inherited from one's mother.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

maternal

adjective

Origin of maternal

OTHER WORDS FROM maternal

Words nearby maternal

Example sentences from the Web for maternal

British Dictionary definitions for maternal

adjective

Derived forms of maternal

Word Origin for maternal

Medical definitions for maternal

adj.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

maternal

adjective

Origin of maternal

OTHER WORDS FROM maternal

Words nearby maternal

Words related to maternal

Example sentences from the Web for maternal

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for maternal

adjective

Derived forms of maternal

Word Origin for maternal

Medical definitions for maternal

adj.

British Dictionary definitions for maternal