maternal

Word family

Related topics: Birth

ma·ter·nal /məˈtɜːnl $ -ɜːr-/ adjectiveadj

1 MOTHERtypical of the way a good mother behaves or feels 母性的；慈母似的 → paternal

Annie was wonderfully warm and maternal.

安妮非常亲切慈爱。

She seems to have a strong maternal instinct (=desire to have babies and take care of them).

她似乎有很强的母性。

2 [only before noun]MBMOTHER relating to a mother or to being a mother 母亲的；与做母亲有关的 → paternal

the relationship between maternal age and infant mortality

生育年龄与婴儿死亡率之间的关系

3. maternal grandfather/aunt etc FAMILYyour mother’s father, sister etc 外祖父/姨母等

Examples from the Corpus

maternal grandfather/aunt etc• Her background was middle-class, cultured, my maternal grandfather being a rabbi.• We are to christen this child Pilade, being the name of Ferdinando's maternal grandfather whom he wishes to honour.• He inherited the honorary title from his maternal grandfather, William Harold Pearson.

—maternally adverbadv

Examples from the Corpus

maternal• Though maternal age and birth order have an independent effect on the viability of the fetus, that act together.• At first, reading this passage I let out a gasp: I had never seen maternal ambivalence described on the page.• The content of the false self rises out of maternal expectations and claims.• They would think her maternal instinct outraged at the extraction of her child?• Lack of maternal love can have a profound effect on a child's psychological development.• My oldest sister, Roberta, used to fuss over me in a rather maternal manner.• Also, he has the confidence to let me know when I use my maternal prerogative to automatically overrule him.• Our results pertain to a sample of 101 subjects, in many of whom the birth weight was obtained by maternal recall.• Maternal smoking increases the risk of low birth weight.• The older girls seemed to feel quite maternal towards the younger ones.• His maternal uncle, William Dauney, had been an architect in Aberdeen.• I get sort of maternal when I'm around those kids.• Aunt Mary was a large, maternal woman who worked as a nurse in a children's hospital.

maternal instinct• Gertrude lacks any maternal instinct.• Pity probably, and an over-developed maternal instinct.• The maternal instinct can't be dumped, even when you've got rid of your baby.• They would think her maternal instinct outraged at the extraction of her child?• A strong maternal instinct takes over.• I had very strong domestic and maternal instincts; there was no way of tramping those down.

Origin maternal

(1400-1500) French maternel, from Latin maternus, from mater “mother”

ma·ter·nal adjectiveadj

Chinese

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Corpus