paternal

Word family

pa·ter·nal /pəˈtɜːnl $ -ɜːr-/ adjectiveadj

1 FATHERpaternal feelings or behaviour are like those of a kind father towards his children 〔感情或行为〕父亲（般）的

Dan took a paternal interest in my work.

丹像父亲一样关心我的工作。

2. paternal grandmother/uncle etc FAMILYyour father’s mother, brother etc 祖母/叔叔[伯伯]等

Examples from the Corpus

paternal grandmother/uncle etc• In 1989 T. moved to live with her paternal grandmother and a year later she went to live with her boyfriend.• C.'s paternal grandmother applied for residence and contact.• The boy's father and paternal grandmother applied, interalia, for an order for the boy to reside with the grandmother.• The boy's paternal grandmother had unsuccessfully applied for a residence order.• At the home of his paternal uncle he was very much at home.• The infant girl was immediately named Margarett Williams Sargent for her paternal grandmother, who was eighty-three and ailing.

—paternally adverbadv

→ maternal

Examples from the Corpus

paternal• Professor Johnson was always there for paternal advice.• We grew up locked in permanent contention with one another over a meager and fickle supply of paternal affection.• It is completely different from the combination of maternal and paternal chromosomes in natural mating mechanisms.• C.'s paternal grandmother applied for residence and contact.• The infant girl was immediately named Margarett Williams Sargent for her paternal grandmother, who was eighty-three and ailing.• Although he had no children of his own, he took a kind of paternal interest in Katie's progress at school.• Innocent asserted his paternal protection of Frederick and the position of Sicily as a fief of the papacy.

Origin paternal

(1400-1500) Latin paternus “of a father”, from pater “father”

pa·ter·nal adjectiveadj

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus