materteral
English
Etymology
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 291: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /məˈtɜːtəɹəl/
Adjective
materteral (comparative more materteral, superlative most materteral)
- Pertaining to, or in the manner of, an aunt.
- 1990 (US), Peter Van Inwagen, Material Beings, Cornell University Press, →ISBN, p. 9,
- It may be that stipulations about parts and wholes are, in some way that undermines my materteral analogies, unlike stipulations about aunts and legacies.
- 2004 (UK), Saif Rahman, Archipelago, Twenty First Century Publishers Ltd, →ISBN, p. 150,
- Only some insistent pleading (materteral rather than avuncular) had changed their mind.
- 2006 (US), R. D. Chrisman, Cathedral Ledge, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, p. 123
- It pleased her to see Aunt Maude waiting tables. Smiling to herself, Alice reflected that Maude was materteral ... like a kindly aunt.
- 2013 October 5, Bee Rowlatt, “Japan's new luxury sleeper train [print edition: Suite surrender on the rails]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Travel)[1], archived from the original on 9 November 2013, page T9:
- A materteral lady told me that people come here from the city in search of peace.
- 1990 (US), Peter Van Inwagen, Material Beings, Cornell University Press, →ISBN, p. 9,
Coordinate terms
References
- The Oxford English Dictionary has materteral and materterine, both derived from the Latin matertera (maternal aunt), and described as "humorously pedantic"; for "characteristic of an aunt". There are two quotations : With maternal and materteral anxiety (1823) and A kindly materterine message (1874).