Dictionary

filial en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɪl.i.əl/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ˈfɪl.jəl/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈfi.li.əl/ (General-American, also)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁ilyós Proto-Italic *θīlios Proto-Italic *fīlios Latin fīlius Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin fīliālisder. Middle English filial English filial From Middle English filial, from Latin fīliālis, from fīlius (“son”) / fīlia (“daughter”) + -al.

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter.
   • The plot revolves around an aimless and unemployed young man, M, whose sole ambition is to livestream his online games. He volunteers to take care of his maternal grandmother after he finds out she has Stage 4 cancer. His motivation is not filial piety; instead, he hopes that he can inherit her house. 2024 June 23, Sui-Lee Wee, “Why Southeast Asia Is Crying Over This Movie”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 23 Jun 2024:
   • The filial duty Ellesmere had paid to a father, who had no other claim to it than that he was his father, was now consoling to him [D'Alonville]; […] 1794, Charlotte Smith, “Chapter 20”, in The Banished Man, volume 2:
2. (comparable) Respectful of the duties and attitudes of sons or daughters toward their parents.
   • If the admonition [to the parent] does not take effect, the son will be more reverential and more filial; […] 1885, The actions and Attitude of Filiality, (Please provide the book title or journal name), translation of original by ConfuciusJames Legge:
3. Of a generation or generations descending from a specific previous one.
   • This, following Bateson, we may call the parental generation or P generation. Subsequent generations are called filial generations (abbreviated F) and their numerical order is indicated by a subscript, as first filial (F₁), second filial (F₂), etc. 1916, William E. Castle, Gregor Mendel, Genetics & Eugenics, page 101:

Forms

Antonyms

unfilial

Coordinates

motherly · paternal · parental · fatherly · parental · maternal

Deriveds

filial piety · nonfilial · filial duty · filiopietistic · filially · grandfilial · filial generation · filialness

Relateds

filiation

Translations (56)

ru дочери́нский (pertaining to a son or daughter) · da sønlig (sonly) (pertaining to a son or daughter) · da datterlig (daughterly) (pertaining to a son or daughter) · bg дъ́щерен (pertaining to a son or daughter) · pl synowski (sonly) (pertaining to a son or daughter) · el θυγατρικός (pertaining to a son or daughter) · fi jälki- (in term jälkipolvi) (of descending generation or generations) · yue 孝順嘅 /孝顺嘅 (respectful of the duties and attitudes of a son or daughter toward their parents) · gv macoil (pertaining to a son or daughter) · ko 효도하다 (respectful of the duties and attitudes of a son or daughter toward their parents) · be сыно́ўскі (pertaining to a son or daughter) · no datterlig (daughterly) (pertaining to a son or daughter) · nl zoonlijk (pertaining to a son or daughter) · eo fila (pertaining to a son or daughter) · cmn 子代的 (of descending generation or generations) · ru доче́рний (pertaining to a son or daughter) · be сы́наў (pertaining to a son or daughter) · no sønnlig (sonly) (pertaining to a son or daughter) · de söhnlich (sonly) (pertaining to a son or daughter) · gd macail (pertaining to a son or daughter) · fi lapsenomainen (pertaining to a son or daughter) · ru сыно́вий (pertaining to a son or daughter) · et lapselik (pertaining to a son or daughter) · ko 효행하다 (respectful of the duties and attitudes of a son or daughter toward their parents) · it filiale (pertaining to a son or daughter) · cmn 子女的 (pertaining to a son or daughter) · ru сыно́вний (pertaining to a son or daughter) · uk си́нів (pertaining to a son or daughter) · bg сино́вен (pertaining to a son or daughter) · nn barnleg (pertaining to a son or daughter) · de töchterlich (daughterly) (pertaining to a son or daughter) · cs synovský (pertaining to a son or daughter) · pl córczyny (daughterly) (pertaining to a son or daughter) · fi vanhempiaan kunnioittava (respectful of the duties and attitudes of a son or daughter toward their parents) · sk synovský (pertaining to a son or daughter) · fi lapsenomainen (respectful of the duties and attitudes of a son or daughter toward their parents) · nl dochterlijk (daughterly) (pertaining to a son or daughter) · de filial (pertaining to a son or daughter) · uk до́ньчин (pertaining to a son or daughter) · ja 孝行する (respectful of the duties and attitudes of a son or daughter toward their parents) · fr filial (pertaining to a son or daughter) · es filial (pertaining to a son or daughter) · uk дочі́рній (pertaining to a son or daughter) · ar اِبْنِيّ (pertaining to a son or daughter) · be даччы́н (pertaining to a son or daughter) · uk доччи́н (pertaining to a son or daughter) · fi jälkeläis- (of descending generation or generations) · uk сині́вський (pertaining to a son or daughter) · ca filial (pertaining to a son or daughter) · bg на дъщеря́ (pertaining to a son or daughter) · cmn 孝順的 /孝顺的 (respectful of the duties and attitudes of a son or daughter toward their parents) · eo filina (pertaining to a son or daughter) · pt filial (pertaining to a son or daughter) · gl filial (pertaining to a son or daughter) · cs dceřinný (pertaining to a son or daughter) · cy mabol (sonly) (pertaining to a son or daughter)