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- Dictionarymaternal/məˈtəːnl/
adjective
- 1. relating to a mother, especially during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth: "maternal care" Similar Opposite
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MATERNAL definition: 1. behaving or feeling in the way that a mother does towards her child, especially in a kind…. Learn more.
1. : of, relating to, belonging to, or characteristic of a mother : motherly. maternal love. maternal instincts. 2. a. : related through a mother. his maternal aunt. b. : inherited or derived from the female parent. maternal genes. maternally. mə-ˈtər-nᵊl-ē. adverb. Synonyms. motherly. See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus.
Maternal definition: of, pertaining to, having the qualities of, or befitting a mother. See examples of MATERNAL used in a sentence.
behaving or feeling in the way that a mother does toward her child, especially in a kind, loving way: maternal instincts. She is very maternal toward her employees. Compare. paternal. related to a mother's side of the family: Her maternal grandmother (= mother's mother) is still alive. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Kind & thoughtful.
If you are maternal, you are like a mother. How you define what it is to be “like a mother” is up to you, but most people think of nurturing things like chicken soup and kisses on the forehead. The adjective maternal comes from the Latin maternus, which means “of a mother.”
Maternal is used to describe feelings or actions which are typical of those of a kind mother towards her child. She had little maternal instinct. Her feelings towards him were almost maternal.
1. Relating to or characteristic of a mother or motherhood; motherly: maternal instinct. 2. Inherited from one's mother: a maternal trait. 3. Related through one's mother: my maternal uncle. [Middle English, from Old French maternel, from Medieval Latin māternālis, from Latin māternus, from māter, mother; see māter- in Indo-European roots.]
MATERNAL meaning: 1. like a mother: 2. A maternal relation is part of your mother's family: . Learn more.
Definition of maternal adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Maternal definition: Of, like, or characteristic of a mother or motherhood; motherly.
