maternal
Americanadjective
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of, pertaining to, having the qualities of, or befitting a mother.
maternal instincts.
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related through a mother.
his maternal aunt.
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derived from a mother.
maternal genes.
adjective
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of, relating to, derived from, or characteristic of a mother
-
related through the mother's side of the family
his maternal uncle
Other Word Forms
- maternalism noun
- maternalistic adjective
- maternally adverb
- nonmaternal adjective
- nonmaternally adverb
- quasi-maternal adjective
- quasi-maternally adverb
- unmaternal adjective
- unmaternally adverb
Etymology
Origin of maternal
1475–85; < Medieval Latin māternālis, equivalent to Latin mātern ( us ) ( māter mother 1 + -nus adj. suffix) + -ālis -al 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The most direct beneficiaries are maternal healthcare and fertility services.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
Chung’s Umma doesn’t take up a lot of room in the play, but her maternal presence registers sharply nonetheless.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
These kinship networks were largely organized through maternal lines, with one mitochondrial lineage dominating, pointing to a key role for women in maintaining family continuity and coordinating movement.
From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026
One of Sims’s maternal uncles was a labor economist, and prodded him to enter the field.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
It’s a maternal gesture that I’m much more willing to receive from her than my actual mother.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
