Question 1 · Quick check
maternal
CEFRC1
/məˈtɜːnəl/
adjective · noun
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
adjective
Related to a mother or typical of a mother.
- 02
adjective
Extra detailDerived from the mother as opposed to the foetus during pregnancy.
Examples
She did not seem to have any of the usual maternal instincts.
The child's good health says a great deal for maternal care.
At a glance
Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 5
- Parts of speech
- 2
- Citations
- 5
Deep Dive
adjective
Extra meaningsRelated through the mother, or her side of the family.
Of or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother; motherly.
noun
Extra meaningA person related through the mother, or her side of the family; a maternal relative.
More examples
In contextMaternal love is the greatest thing.
His weakness seemed to bring out her maternal instincts.
Toby is my maternal uncle.
Related
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.
Nearby
Origin
adjective
PIE word *méh₂tēr The adjective is derived from Late Middle English maternal, maternall, from Middle French maternel (“maternal”) (modern French maternel (“maternal; native”)), or from its etymon Late Latin māternālis (“maternal”), from Latin māternus (“maternal; related to the mother or her side of the family”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship from nouns). Māternus is derived from māter (“mother”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr (“mother”)) + -rnus (suffix forming adjectives). The English word is cognate with Italian maternale, materno, Portuguese maternal, materno, Spanish maternal, materno. The noun is derived from the adjective.