paternal
English
Etymology
From Old French paternal (“of a father”) (12c.), a learned borrowing from Vulgar Latin paternālis (“paternal”), from Classical Latin paternus (“of or pertaining to a father, paternal”), from pater (“father”).
Pronunciation
- enPR: pə-tû(r)'nəl, IPA(key): /pəˈtɜː(ɹ)nəl/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)nəl
Adjective
paternal (comparative more paternal, superlative most paternal)
- Of or pertaining to one's father, his genes, his relatives, or his side of a family.
- paternal grandfather
- 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], OCLC 21345056, page 93:
- 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.
- Fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father.
- Received or inherited from one's father.
- 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 863244003, page 477:
- 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.
-
- Acting as a father.
- (Can we add an example for this sense?)
Antonyms
- maternal – mother
Coordinate terms
- avuncular – uncle
- maternal – mother
- materteral – aunt
Derived terms
- paternal aunt
- paternal cousin
- paternal grandfather
- paternal grandmother
- paternalism
- paternalistic
- paternally
- paternal uncle
Translations
of or pertaining to one's father
|
fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father
|
received or inherited from one's father
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acting as a father
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Anagrams
- parental, prenatal
Old French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin paternālis. Compare the descended term paternel.
Adjective
paternal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular paternale)
- paternal
Declension
Declension of paternal
Number | Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Subject | paternaus | paternale | paternal |
Oblique | paternal | |||
Plural | Subject | paternal | paternales | |
Oblique | paternaus |
Descendants
- English: paternal
Romanian
Etymology
From French paternel.
Adjective
paternal m or n (feminine singular paternală, masculine plural paternali, feminine and neuter plural paternale)
- fatherly
Declension
Declension of paternal
singular | plural | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | ||
nominative/ accusative | indefinite | paternal | paternală | paternali | paternale | ||
definite | paternalul | paternala | paternalii | paternalele | |||
genitive/ dative | indefinite | paternal | paternale | paternali | paternale | ||
definite | paternalului | paternalei | paternalilor | paternalelor |
Spanish
Adjective
paternal (plural paternales)
- paternal, fatherly
Derived terms
- paternalmente
Further reading
- “paternal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014