maternal
If you are maternal, you are like a mother. How you define what it is to be “like a mother” is up to you, but most people think of nurturing things like chicken soup and kisses on the forehead.
The adjective maternal comes from the Latin maternus, which means “of a mother.” Many traits are labeled as maternal, including physical traits that are genetically passed on from the mother — like being color blind. A woman’s desire to have a child is called her “maternal instinct,” and if you care for other people in a nurturing way you are being maternal, even if you are not a mother. Your mother’s mother is your “maternal grandmother.”
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characteristic of a mother“"warm maternal affection for her guest"- Dorothy Sayers”synonyms:maternalisticshowing maternal instinctsmotherlikesuggestive of or acting like a mothermotherlybefitting a mother; warm and nurturingmatriarchalcharacteristic of a matriarchyantonyms:paternalcharacteristic of a fatherpaternalisticbenevolent but sometimes intrusivepatriarchalcharacteristic of a form of social organization in which the male is the family head and title is traced through the male line
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relating to or characteristic of or befitting a parent
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relating to or derived from one's mother“maternal genes”
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related on the mother's side
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Vocabulary lists containing maternal
Be a kindred spirit by learning this list of vocabulary related to family.
May is blooming with holidays, events, and commemorations, from Mother's Day to Memorial Day, the Kentucky Derby to college commencement ceremonies. It's the perfect month to grow your vocabulary.