maternal

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: /məˈtəɻnəl/, X-SAMPA: /m@"t3:(r)n@l/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)nəl

Adjective

maternal (comparative more maternal, superlative most maternal)

1. Of or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother, motherly.

   His weakness seemed to bring out her maternal instincts.

2. Related through the mother, or her side of the family.

   Toby is my maternal uncle.

3. (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

• Arabic: أمي (ar) (ʾúmmiyy)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 母親的 (cmn), 母亲的 (cmn) (mǔqīn de)

• Czech: mateřský (cs)
• Dutch: moederlijk (nl)
• French: maternel (fr)
• German: mütterlich (de)
• Greek: μητρικός (mitrikós) m, μητρική (mitrikí) f, μητρικό (mitrikó) n

• Hungarian: anyai (hu)
• Italian: materno (it)
• Japanese: 母性 (ja) (ぼせい, bosei)
• Latin: māternālis (la), māternus (la)
• Polish: matczyny (pl), macierzyński (pl)
• Portuguese: materno (pt) m
• Romanian: matern (ro)
• Russian: материнский (ru) (materínskij)

related through the mother, or her side of the family

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 母系 (cmn) (mǔxì)

• Dutch: langs moeders kant (nl)
• French: maternel (fr)
• German: mütterlich (de)

• Greek: εκ μητρός (ek mitrós) (from the mother side)
• Hungarian: anyai (hu)
• Japanese: 母系の (ja) (ぼけいの, bokei no), 母方の (ja) (ははかたの, hahakata no)
• Latin: māternus (la)
• Russian: с материнской стороны (ru) (s materínskoj storoný)
• Scottish Gaelic: taobh màthar (gd)

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

• Armenian: մայրական (hy) (mayrakan)
• Serbo-Croatian: mȃjčīnskī (sh), mȃjčīn (sh), mȃjkīn (sh), materinski

• Hebrew: אימהי (he) (imahi)
• Italian: materno
• Japanese: 母性 (ja) (ぼせい, bosei), 母方の (ja) (ははかたの, hahakata-no)
• Korean: 임신하는 (imsinhaneun)
• Spanish: materno (es)

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Spanish

Adjective

maternal m and f (plural maternales)

1. maternal