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paternal

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Old French paternal (“of a father”) (12th c.), from Vulgar Latin paternālis (“paternal”), from Latin paternus (“of or pertaining to a father, paternal”), from pater (“father”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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paternal (comparative more paternal, superlative most paternal)

  1. Of or pertaining to one's father, his genes, his relatives, or his side of a family.
    Coordinate terms: maternal, avuncular, materteral
    paternal grandfather
    • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Different Views of Youth and Age”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 93:
      It was with a natural touch of pride that Norbourne Courtenaye paced his paternal hall, while waiting for his uncle, with whom he was going to ride.
    • 1945, E[lizabeth] G[idley] Withycombe, “Introduction”, in The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page xiii:
      The eldest son was usually given the name of his paternal grandfather, later children those of other relatives.
    1. Fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father.
    2. Received or inherited from one's father.
      • a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The Second Epode of Horace”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume II, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 477:
        Thus, ere the ſeeds of vice were ſown, / Liv'd men in better ages born, / Who plow'd with oxen of their own / Their ſmall paternal field of corn.
    3. Acting as a father.
      (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

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paternal (plural paternals)

  1. (rare) A person related through the father, or his side of the family; a paternal relative.
    Coordinate term: maternal
    • 1826 January, John Haywood, Judge of the Tennessee Supreme Court, “Jane C. Butler v. James M. King”, in George S. Yerger, William Frierson Cooper, editors, Tennessee Reports. Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Tennessee, new edition, volume II, St. Louis, Mo.: G. I. Jones and Company, published 1876, →OCLC, page 109:
      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 establishes a well-known standard to divide by, and that this standard excludes the maternals, then every word, as well as this word "only," has a material effect and energy.
    • 1869, Neil B[enjamin] E[dmonstone] Baillie, “Of Inheritance by ‘Nusub’ or Consanguinity”, in A Digest of Moohummudan Law on the Subjects to which It is Usually Applied by British Courts of Justice in India. Compiled and Translated from Authorities in the Original Arabic, part 2nd (Containing the Doctrine of the Imameea Code of Jurisprudence […]), London: Smith Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 286:
      If there are both paternal and maternal uncles and aunts, the maternals take a third, even if there is only one of them, and whether male or female, and the paternals two-thirds, even though there is only one of them, and whether male or female. If the maternals are of one kind, a male has the portion of two females.
    • 1997 October 15, Susan Rankin, “Need Advice!”, in alt.wedding‎[1] (Usenet), archived from the original on 9 December 2025:
      Being a stepparent, -grandparent is a tough job that not everyone can do, but obviously the paternals think they're special and love them regardless fo[sic] whether they fit in or not. It's out of respect for that position as well as respect for your paternals that you should do this. IMagine[sic] how hurt your paternals might feel if you didn't see fit to include their loved one in such a way that seems insignificant to you, but can mean the world to them.
    • 1998 March 29, Manuel M Campagna, “Eurolang (was: ESPERANTO)”, in soc.culture.esperanto‎[2] (Usenet), archived from the original on 9 December 2025:
      Personally I think one should be consistent. If one decides to use 'av' as the truncated root, one should make up 'avcxjo' and 'avnjo'. If one decides to start from 'avi[n]', one should then make up 'avicxjo' and 'avinjo'. Of course it is quite possible to use one set for the paternals and the other for the maternals.
    • 1998 April 23, John W Kennedy, “The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father ( *Spoilers* )”, in rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated‎[3] (Usenet), archived from the original on 9 December 2025:
      Well, actually, that ain't "Mother, Father". "To the maternals, to the paternals." or "From the maternals, from the paternals.".
    • 2001 May 27, GOtterBMe, “Is there a time when you give up on your relatives?”, in alt.support.attn-deficit‎[4] (Usenet), archived from the original on 9 December 2025:
      Well, see, that's what I meant -- it's not really about physical distance -- it's emotional distance. My nephew and nieces hardly knew their maternal grandparents. Room would have been made for my parents of course. The paternals were gracious, caring people.
    • 2003 April 7, Uncle Cato, “A history lesson”, in alt.politics.immigration‎[5] (Usenet), archived from the original on 9 December 2025:
      I don't have a drop of English/British blood in me. All my grandparents were Scandinavian, and my paternals spoke no English when they arrived.
    • 2004 April 27, DocAay, “Family”, in soc.culture.irish‎[6] (Usenet), archived from the original on 9 December 2025:
      My family has always been spread out over the country, with my maternal grandparent in Texas and my paternals on the East Coast, with us stuck in the middle.
    • 2005 January 22, Phxbrd, “Need some help”, in alt.fifty-plus.friends‎[7] (Usenet), archived from the original on 9 December 2025:
      When I was a kid my mother researched her tree for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution, the snobs that wouldn't let Marian Anderson sing in their building. I wouldn't dare scrutinize my paternals, most if not all were tories....
    • 2007 December 13, :-/, “Alameda Swap Meet (slightly OT)”, in alt.food.mexican-cooking‎[8] (Usenet), archived from the original on 9 December 2025:
      >I hear Minneapolis has great Mexican food.
      I don't have any relatives there. My maternal grandparents were born in Marshalltown, Iowa, my paternals in South Dakota, and Kansas.

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Indonesian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Dutch paternaal, from Latin paternālis.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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paternal (comparative lebih paternal, superlative paling paternal)

  1. paternal, fatherly
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Further reading

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Old French

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Etymology

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Learned borrowing from Latin paternālis.

Adjective

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paternal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular paternale)

  1. paternal

Declension

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Case masculine feminine neuter
singular subject paternaus paternale paternal
oblique paternal paternale paternal
plural subject paternal paternales paternal
oblique paternaus paternales paternal

Descendants

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  • English: paternal

Portuguese

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Etymology

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By surface analysis, paterno +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

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  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /pɐ.tɨɾˈnal/ [pɐ.tɨɾˈnaɫ]
    • (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /pɐ.tɨɾˈna.li/

  • Hyphenation: pa‧ter‧nal

Adjective

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paternal m or f (plural paternais)

  1. paternal, fatherly
    Synonym: paterno

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French paternel. By surface analysis, patern +‎ -al.

Adjective

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paternal m or n (feminine singular paternală, masculine plural paternali, feminine/neuter plural paternale)

  1. paternal, fatherly

Declension

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Declension of paternal
singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative-
accusative 		indefinite paternal paternală paternali paternale
definite paternalul paternala paternalii paternalele
genitive-
dative 		indefinite paternal paternale paternali paternale
definite paternalului paternalei paternalilor paternalelor

Spanish

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Etymology

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By surface analysis, paterno +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /pateɾˈnal/ [pa.t̪eɾˈnal]
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Syllabification: pa‧ter‧nal

Adjective

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paternal m or f (masculine and feminine plural paternales)

  1. paternal, fatherly

Derived terms

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Further reading

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