Dictionary

paternal en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /pəˈtøː.nəl/ (New-Zealand)
• /pəˈtɜː.nəl/ (Australia)
• /pəˈtɜɹ.nəl/ (Canada, General-American)
• /pəˈtɜː.nəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (California, Southern) audio

Etymology

From Old French paternal (“of a father”) (12th c.), from Vulgar Latin paternālis (“paternal”), from Latin paternus (“of or pertaining to a father, paternal”), from pater (“father”).

Meanings

1. Of or pertaining to one's father, his genes, his relatives, or his side of a family.
   • It was with a natural touch of pride that Norbourne Courtenaye paced his paternal hall, while waiting for his uncle, with whom he was going to ride. 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Different Views of Youth and Age”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 93:
   • The eldest son was usually given the name of his paternal grandfather, later children those of other relatives. 1945, E[lizabeth] G[idley] Withycombe, “Introduction”, in The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page xiii:
   • paternal grandfather
2. Of or pertaining to one's father, his genes, his relatives, or his side of a family. ▸ Fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father.
3. Of or pertaining to one's father, his genes, his relatives, or his side of a family. ▸ Received or inherited from one's father.
   • Thus, ere the ſeeds of vice were ſown, / Liv'd men in better ages born, / Who plow'd with oxen of their own / Their ſmall paternal field of corn. a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The Second Epode of Horace”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume II, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 477:
4. Of or pertaining to one's father, his genes, his relatives, or his side of a family. ▸ Acting as a father.

Forms

Coordinates

maternal · materteral · avuncular · materteral · materteral · maternal · maternal · avuncular · maternal · avuncular · materteral · avuncular

Deriveds

nonpaternal · paternal cousin · paternally · paternal half-uncle · antipaternal · paternalism · paternalness · paternalize · allopaternal · paternal grandfather · unpaternal · paternalist · paternal half aunt · paternal grandchild · paternal uncle · paternalistic · bipaternal · paternal orphan · paternal aunt · paternal grandmother · grandpaternal · paternalization · paternal custody · homopaternal · heteropaternal · paternalise · monopaternal

Translations (117)

ru оте́ческий (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · hu atyai (acting as a father) · el πατρικός (received or inherited from one's father) · hu apai (of or pertaining to one's father) · hy հայրական (of or pertaining to one's father) · ar أَبَوِيّ (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · pt paterno (received or inherited from one's father) · sh òčev (of or pertaining to one's father) · uk ба́тьків (of or pertaining to one's father) · fr paternel (of or pertaining to one's father) · uk оте́цький (of or pertaining to one's father) · la paternus (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · nl vaderlijk (acting as a father) · sl očetovski (of or pertaining to one's father) · tr pederane (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · mk татковски (of or pertaining to one's father) · sh ȍčīnskī (of or pertaining to one's father) · be ба́цькаўскі (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · bg ба́щин (received or inherited from one's father) · be ба́цькаў (of or pertaining to one's father) · nl van vaderskant (received or inherited from one's father) · nl vaderlijk (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · tr babacan (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · mk татковски (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · fa پدرانه (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · be айцо́ўскі (of or pertaining to one's father) · sk otcovský (received or inherited from one's father) · cs otcovský (received or inherited from one's father) · de väterlich (of or pertaining to one's father) · fr paternel (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · fi isänpuoleinen (received or inherited from one's father) · uk отце́вий (of or pertaining to one's father) · la paternus (of or pertaining to one's father) · sh о̏чӣнскӣ (received or inherited from one's father) · tg падарона (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · be айцо́ўскі (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · bg ба́щин (of or pertaining to one's father) · ro patern (of or pertaining to one's father) · hu atyai (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · pl po mieczu (received or inherited from one's father) · bg ба́щински (of or pertaining to one's father) · nb faderlig (of or pertaining to one's father) · ja 父性 (of or pertaining to one's father) · fr paternel (received or inherited from one's father) · be ба́цькаўскі (of or pertaining to one's father) · gd taobh athar (of or pertaining to one's father) · uk отце́вий (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · fa پدری (of or pertaining to one's father) · el πατρικός (of or pertaining to one's father) · be бацько́ўскі (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · cs otcovský (of or pertaining to one's father) · hi पैतृक (received or inherited from one's father) · lt tėviškas (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · sh о̏чӣнскӣ (of or pertaining to one's father) · pt paterno (of or pertaining to one's father) · uk ба́тьківський (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · hu apai (received or inherited from one's father) · ca patern (of or pertaining to one's father) · bg ба́щински (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · hi पैतृक (of or pertaining to one's father) · da faderlig (of or pertaining to one's father) · sh о̀чев (of or pertaining to one's father) · pl ojcowski (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · hu apai (acting as a father) · sh ȍčīnskī (acting as a father) · es paternal (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · ar أَبَوِيّ (of or pertaining to one's father) · be бацько́ўскі (of or pertaining to one's father) · ru отцо́вский (of or pertaining to one's father) · es paterno (of or pertaining to one's father) · lt tėvinis (of or pertaining to one's father) · la paternālis (of or pertaining to one's father) · hy հայրական (received or inherited from one's father) · tr babacan (received or inherited from one's father) · el πατρικός (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · ru отцо́вский (acting as a father) · nl vaderlijk (of or pertaining to one's father) · fi isän tekemä (acting as a father) · sh ȍčīnskī (received or inherited from one's father) · fi isänpuoleinen (of or pertaining to one's father) · cs otcovský (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · ang fæderen (of or pertaining to one's father) · sk otcovský (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · ja 父方の (of or pertaining to one's father) · da alfaderlig (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · grc πατρικός (of or pertaining to one's father) · hy հայրական (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · pl ojcowski (of or pertaining to one's father) · hu atyai (received or inherited from one's father) · el πατρικός (acting as a father) · da faderlig (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · sh о̏чӣнскӣ (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · sv faderlig (of or pertaining to one's father) · la paternus (received or inherited from one's father) · ru отцо́вский (received or inherited from one's father) · cmn 母系 (of or pertaining to one's father) · tg падарӣ (of or pertaining to one's father) · fi isällinen (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · cmn 父親的 /父亲的 (of or pertaining to one's father) · sh ȍčīnskī (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · hy հայրենի (received or inherited from one's father) · ota پدری (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · ru отцо́вский (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · pt paterno (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · nl paternaal (received or inherited from one's father) · sl očetovski (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · cmn 父系 (of or pertaining to one's father) · uk оте́цький (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · da faderlig (acting as a father) · hi पैतृक (fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father) · sk otcovský (of or pertaining to one's father) · uk ба́тьківський (of or pertaining to one's father) · hu atyai (of or pertaining to one's father) · it paterno (of or pertaining to one's father) · ru оте́ческий (of or pertaining to one's father) · hy հայրենի (of or pertaining to one's father) · ota پدری (of or pertaining to one's father)

paternal en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /pəˈtøː.nəl/ (New-Zealand)
• /pəˈtɜː.nəl/ (Australia)
• /pəˈtɜɹ.nəl/ (Canada, General-American)
• /pəˈtɜː.nəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (California, Southern) audio

Etymology

From Old French paternal (“of a father”) (12th c.), from Vulgar Latin paternālis (“paternal”), from Latin paternus (“of or pertaining to a father, paternal”), from pater (“father”).

Meanings

1. (rare) A person related through the father, or his side of the family; a paternal relative.
   • My family has always been spread out over the country, with my maternal grandparent in Texas and my paternals on the East Coast, with us stuck in the middle. 2004 April 27, DocAay, “Family”, in soc.culture.irish (Usenet), archived from the original on 09 Dec 2025:
   • Well, actually, that ain't "Mother, Father". "To the maternals, to the paternals." or "From the maternals, from the paternals.". 1998 April 23, John W Kennedy, “The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father ( *Spoilers* )”, in rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated (Usenet), archived from the original on 09 Dec 2025:
   • Divide what? The estate that came from the father to the son. Amongst whom? The paternal brothers. If it means, that paternals and maternals shall now divide, as paternals formerly did, the whole sentence operates nothing; for without, the half blood on both sides, would have taken. But say it establishes a well-known standard to divide by, and that this standard excludes the maternals, then every word, as well as this word "only," has a material effect and energy. 1826 January, John Haywood, Judge of the Tennessee Supreme Court, “Jane C. Butler v. James M. King”, in George S. Yerger, William Frierson Cooper, editors, Tennessee Reports. Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Tennessee, new edition, volume II, St. Louis, Mo.: G. I. Jones and Company, published 1876, →OCLC, page 109:
   • >I hear Minneapolis has great Mexican food. I don't have any relatives there. My maternal grandparents were born in Marshalltown, Iowa, my paternals in South Dakota, and Kansas. 2007 December 13, :-/, “Alameda Swap Meet (slightly OT)”, in alt.food.mexican-cooking (Usenet), archived from the original on 09 Dec 2025:
   • Well, see, that's what I meant -- it's not really about physical distance -- it's emotional distance. My nephew and nieces hardly knew their maternal grandparents. Room would have been made for my parents of course. The paternals were gracious, caring people. 2001 May 27, GOtterBMe, “Is there a time when you give up on your relatives?”, in alt.support.attn-deficit (Usenet), archived from the original on 09 Dec 2025:
   • When I was a kid my mother researched her tree for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution, the snobs that wouldn't let Marian Anderson sing in their building. I wouldn't dare scrutinize my paternals, most if not all were tories.... 2005 January 22, Phxbrd, “Need some help”, in alt.fifty-plus.friends (Usenet), archived from the original on 09 Dec 2025:
   • Being a stepparent, -grandparent is a tough job that not everyone can do, but obviously the paternals think they're special and love them regardless fo^([sic]) whether they fit in or not. It's out of respect for that position as well as respect for your paternals that you should do this. IMagine^([sic]) how hurt your paternals might feel if you didn't see fit to include their loved one in such a way that seems insignificant to you, but can mean the world to them. 1997 October 15, Susan Rankin, “Need Advice!”, in alt.wedding (Usenet), archived from the original on 09 Dec 2025:
   • If there are both paternal and maternal uncles and aunts, the maternals take a third, even if there is only one of them, and whether male or female, and the paternals two-thirds, even though there is only one of them, and whether male or female. If the maternals are of one kind, a male has the portion of two females. 1869, Neil B[enjamin] E[dmonstone] Baillie, “Of Inheritance by ‘Nusub’ or Consanguinity”, in A Digest of Moohummudan Law on the Subjects to which It is Usually Applied by British Courts of Justice in India. Compiled and Translated from Authorities in the Original Arabic, part 2nd (Containing the Doctrine of the Imameea Code of Jurisprudence […]), London: Smith Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 286:
   • Personally I think one should be consistent. If one decides to use 'av' as the truncated root, one should make up 'avcxjo' and 'avnjo'. If one decides to start from 'avi[n]', one should then make up 'avicxjo' and 'avinjo'. Of course it is quite possible to use one set for the paternals and the other for the maternals. 1998 March 29, Manuel M Campagna, “Eurolang (was: ESPERANTO)”, in soc.culture.esperanto (Usenet), archived from the original on 09 Dec 2025:
   • I don't have a drop of English/British blood in me. All my grandparents were Scandinavian, and my paternals spoke no English when they arrived. 2003 April 7, Uncle Cato, “A history lesson”, in alt.politics.immigration (Usenet), archived from the original on 09 Dec 2025:

Forms

Coordinates

maternal