paternal Definition
pa·ter·nal (pə tʉr′nəl)
adjective
- of, like, or characteristic of a father or fatherhood; fatherly
- derived, received, or inherited from a father
- related through the father's side of the family paternal grandparents
Etymology: ML paternalis < L paternus < pater, father
paternal Related Forms
pa·ter′·nally adverb
paternal Synonyms
paternal Usage Examples
Modifies a noun
- grandmother: My wife's paternal grandmother was Lizzie Ann Sole.
- grandfather: Everyone on my paternal grandfather 's side of the family has bumps.
- allele: These sequence variants are called maternal and paternal alleles.
- grandparent: Most but by no means all paternal grandparents welcomed the child as a new member of the family.
- uncle: He was taught first by his paternal uncle, then he entered a Jesuit College in Lyon.
- nan: There is also concern about their half brother who lives with his paternal nan on a RO.
Modifying Another Word
- almost: But in interrogation he could be gentle, almost paternal.
- predominantly: Among the flowering plants, rye shows paternal inheritance, and predominantly paternal inheritance has been observed in chaparral.
- mainly: Gymnosperms have mainly paternal ( pollen ) transmission while most flowering plants seem to have maternal inheritance.
- clearly: The medicinal herb damiana has clearly paternal inheritance [ 5 ] as does kiwi [ 6 ] .
- very: To her he had always been kind, concerned about her welfare, " very paternal " , she says.
Used with adjective complement
Browse dictionary entries near paternal
- ‹ paterfamilias
- ‹ Pater,Walter
- ‹ pater
- ‹ patentor
- ‹ patently
- ‹ patentee
- ‹ patented
- ‹ patent right
- ‹ patent pending
- ‹ patent office

