filial

[ fil-ee-uh l ]

/ ˈfɪl i əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR filial ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or befitting a son or daughter: filial obedience.

noting or having the relation of a child to a parent.

Genetics. pertaining to the sequence of generations following the parental generation, each generation being designated by an F followed by a subscript number indicating its place in the sequence.

Nearby words

filene, filene, edward albert, filet, filet lace, filet mignon, filial, filial generation, filial piety, filially, filiate, filiation

Origin of filial

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin fīliālis, equivalent to Latin fīli(us) son + -ālis -al¹

Related forms

fil·i·al·ly, adverbfil·i·al·ness, nounnon·fil·i·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for filial

She explained that “filial laws” are a vestige of English rule.
Are You Legally Responsible for Your Elderly Parents?|Keli Goff|April 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Apparently Romney has placed his filial devotion in the same blind trust in which he has stored his dignity.
Paul Begala: The Strangely Silent Jan. 23 Debate in Tampa|Paul Begala|January 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
We spare the reader a shocking scene of filial and parental reproaches.
Tales And Novels, Volume 7 (of 10)|Maria Edgeworth
There, day by day, grows the sentiment of filial veneration and love.
Humanity in the City|E. H. Chapin

Parental and filial feelings sufficed for nothing between them beyond the ecstasy of a caress.
John Caldigate|Anthony Trollope
The filial piety of the child affected her, and she was deeply moved when the officer said, "Yoritomo is much like Prince Uma."
Historic Tales, Vol. 12 (of 15)|Charles Morris
The mother country must set the example, while responding to these filial overtures with gratitude and affection.
The Annual Register 1914|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for filial

filial

/ (ˈfɪljəl) /

adjective

of, resembling, or suitable to a son or daughterfilial affection

genetics designating any of the generations following the parental generation; F 1 indicates the first filial generation, F 2 the second, etcAbbreviation: F

Derived Forms

filially, adverbfilialness, noun

Word Origin for filial

C15: from Late Latin fīliālis, from Latin fīlius son

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for filial

filial

[ fĭl′ē-əl ]

adj.

Relating to the relationship of offspring to parents.

In genetics, relating to a generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation.