paternal

== English == === Alternative forms === paternall (obsolete) === Etymology === From Old French paternal (“of a father”) (12th c.), from Vulgar Latin paternālis (“paternal”), from Latin paternus (“of or pertaining to a father, paternal”), from pater (“father”). === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /pəˈtɜː.nəl/ (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /pəˈtɜɹ.nəl/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /pəˈtɜː.nəl/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /pəˈtøː.nəl/ 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. Coordinate terms: maternal, avuncular, materteral Fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father. Received or inherited from one's father. Acting as a father. (Can we add an example for this sense?) ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Noun === paternal (plural paternals) (rare) A person related through the father, or his side of the family; a paternal relative. Coordinate term: maternal === Further reading === “paternal”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present. “paternal”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present. “paternal”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. “paternal”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. “paternal”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. “paternal, adj.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000. === Anagrams === parental, prenatal == Indonesian == === Etymology === Borrowed from Dutch paternaal, from Latin paternālis. === Pronunciation === (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /patərˈnal/ [pa.t̪ərˈnal] Rhymes: -al Syllabification: pa‧ter‧nal === Adjective === paternal (comparative lebih paternal, superlative paling paternal) paternal, fatherly ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “paternal”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016 == Old French == === Etymology === Learned borrowing from Latin paternālis. === Adjective === paternal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular paternale) paternal ==== Declension ==== ==== Descendants ==== English: paternal == Portuguese == === Etymology === By surface analysis, paterno +‎ -al. === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: pa‧ter‧nal === Adjective === paternal m or f (plural paternais) paternal, fatherly Synonym: paterno ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “paternal”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “paternal”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026 “paternal”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN “paternal”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Etymology === Borrowed from French paternel. By surface analysis, patern +‎ -al. === Adjective === paternal m or n (feminine singular paternală, masculine plural paternali, feminine/neuter plural paternale) paternal, fatherly ==== Declension ==== == Spanish == === Etymology === By surface analysis, paterno +‎ -al. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /pateɾˈnal/ [pa.t̪eɾˈnal] Rhymes: -al Syllabification: pa‧ter‧nal === Adjective === paternal m or f (masculine and feminine plural paternales) paternal, fatherly ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “paternal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025