maternal
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maternal
- /məˈtɜːnəl/ UK
- /məˈtɝnəl/ US
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)nəl
Where it comes from
PIE word
*méh₂tēr
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English maternal, maternall, from Middle French maternel (“maternal”) (modern French maternel (“maternal; native”)), or from its etymon Late Latin māternālis (“maternal”), from Latin māternus (“maternal; related to the mother or her side of the family”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship from nouns). Māternus is derived from māter (“mother”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr (“mother”)) + -rnus (suffix forming adjectives). The English word is cognate with Italian maternale, materno, Portuguese maternal, materno, Spanish maternal, materno.
The noun is derived from the adjective.
adjective more maternal · most maternal · maternall
- 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.
Opposite: paternal
- Derived from the mother as opposed to the foetus during pregnancy. The facts which have now been stated warrant, I think, the conclusion, that the human placenta does not consist of two parts, maternal and fœtal, that no cells exist in its substance, and that there is no communication between the uterus and the placenta by large arteries and veins.
noun maternals
- A mother. In the necessarily brief space allotted to a review in these pages it would be impossible to sketch out the story at any length. Suffice it that there are two fathers, two sons and two daughters; the maternals, for once, go for little, but there is an Aunt Philly—a conception, that starts out in the
- A person related through the mother, or her side of the family; a maternal relative. Divide what? The estate that came from the father to the son. Amongst whom? The paternal brothers. If it means, that paternals and maternals shall now divide, as paternals formerly did, the whole sentence operates nothing; for without, the half blood on both sides, would have taken. But say it estab
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: motherlike, maternalistic, motherly, parental, enate, enatic, paternal, related, motherhood, maternity, mother, mom, mama, moms, mum, mommy
Translations
Every language
adj of or pertaining to a mother
| Español | maternal, materno |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 母性 bosei |
| 中文 | 母親的 /母亲的 mǔqīn de |
| Português | maternal |
| Français | maternel |
| Deutsch | mütterlich |
| Italiano | materno |
| Ελληνικά | μητρικός mitrikós |
| Română | matern |
| Русский | матери́нский materínskij |
| العربية | أُمِّيّ ʔummiyy, أُمُومِيّ ʔumūmiyy |
| עברית | אִמָּהִי imahi |
adj related through the mother, or her side of the family
| Español | maternal, materno |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 母系の bokei no, 母方の hahakata no |
| 中文 | 母系 mǔxì |
| Português | materno |
| Français | maternel |
| Deutsch | mütterlich |
| Italiano | materno |
| Ελληνικά | εκ μητρός ek mitrós, από την πλευρά της μητέρας apó tin plevrá tis mitéras |
| Română | matern |
| Русский | с матери́нской стороны́ s materínskoj storoný |
| עברית | אִמָּהִי |
Talk about this word "maternal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/maternal. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. maternal. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/maternal "maternal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/maternal.Cite this
@misc{maternal_2026,
title = {maternal},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/maternal},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
