Adjacent Words

Paternal definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PATERN'AL, a. [L. paternus, from pater, father.]
1. Pertaining to a father; fatherly; as paternal care of affection; paternal favor or admonition.
2. Derived from the father; hereditary; as a paternal estate.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: belonging to or inherited from one's father; "spent his childhood on the paternal farm"; "paternal traits"
2: characteristic of a father [ant: maternal]
3: relating to or characteristic of or befitting a parent; "parental guidance" [syn: parental, maternal, paternal] [ant: filial]
4: related on the father's side; "a paternal aunt" [syn: agnate, agnatic, paternal]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin paternalis, from Latin paternus paternal, from pater Date: 15th century 1. a. of or relating to a father b. like that of a father <paternal benevolence> 2. received or inherited from one's male parent 3. related through one's father <paternal grandfather> • paternally adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 of or like or appropriate to a father. 2 fatherly. 3 related through the father. 4 (of a government etc.) limiting freedom and responsibility by well-meant regulations. Derivatives: paternally adv. Etymology: LL paternalis f. L paternus f. pater father

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Paternal Pa*ter"nal, a. [L. paternus, fr. pater a father: cf. F. paternel. See Father.] 1. Of or pertaining to a father; fatherly; showing the disposition of a father; guiding or instructing as a father; as, paternal care. ``Under paternal rule.'' --Milton. 2. Received or derived from a father; hereditary; as, a paternal estate. Their small paternal field of corn. --Dryden. Paternal government (Polit. Science), the assumption by the governing power of a quasi-fatherly relation to the people, involving strict and intimate supervision of their business and social concerns, upon the theory that they are incapable of managing their own afffairs.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Paternal is used to describe feelings or actions which are typical of those of a kind father towards his child. He put his hand under her chin in an almost paternal gesture. ADJ: usu ADJ n 2. A paternal relative is one that is related through a person's father rather than their mother. ...my paternal grandparents. ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Fatherly. 2. Hereditary.

Moby Thesaurus

adoring, affectionate, ancestorial, ancestral, concerned, conjugal, demonstrative, devoted, faithful, fatherlike, fatherly, filial, fond, grandfatherly, grandmotherly, grandparental, husbandly, indulgent, kindly, languishing, lovelorn, lovesick, lovesome, loving, maternal, melting, mother, motherlike, motherly, parent, parental, patriarchal, patrilateral, patrilineal, patrilinear, patrimonial, romantic, sentimental, soft, solicitous, tender, uxorious, wifely