maternally
Americanadverb
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through the mother (used to describe how people are related, how traits are inherited, etc.).
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in a maternal way; in a way that is characteristic of a mother.
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.
He and colleagues sifted through 40 years’ worth of data on three Pacific pods, social groups typically consisting of a couple dozen, maternally related killer whales that travel and hunt fish together.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 8, 2023
To determine the relationship, the researchers examined mitochondrial DNA—which is maternally inherited and would therefore be identical between siblings and between a mother and child, but not between a father and child.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 21, 2022
There is equal chance of microtubule fiber to encounter maternally or paternally inherited chromosome.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Moore had been a keen hobbyist in traditional genealogy and in early consumer genomics, which had allowed the tracking of direct male lines through the Y-chromosome and of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA.
From New York Times ● Dec. 27, 2021
“How did your first day go, dear?” the receptionist asked maternally.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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.
