Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of, relating to, or befitting a son or daughter.
- adjective Having or assuming the relationship of child or offspring to parent.
- adjective Genetics Of or relating to a generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Pertaining to a son or daughter; becoming to or due from a child in relation to the parents.
- Bearing the relation of a child.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to a son or daughter; becoming to a child in relation to his parents.
- adjective Bearing the relation of a child.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective not comparable Pertaining to or
befitting ason ordaughter . - adjective comparable Respectful of the
duties andattitudes of a son or daughter toward theirparents . - adjective genetics Of a
generation or generations descending from aspecific previous one.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective designating the generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation
- adjective relating to or characteristic of or befitting an offspring
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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As this dependence on the mother church may be of various degrees, the term filial church may have naturally more than one signification as to minor details.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 6: Fathers of the Church-Gregory XI 1840-1916 1913
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When followed by l the history of f was like that of c and g: the result for all three was a palatalized l which soon began to be represented by ll (approximate to li in English "filial": flamma, Span. llama, clamare, Span. llamar, etc.).
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 14: Simony-Tournon 1840-1916 1913
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Fortunately, at least the Spanish Church has issued a nice communiqué in filial support of our great Benedict XVI.
Cardinal Cañizares on Liturgical Reforms, Summorum Pontificum 2009
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It is true that the subjected church does not lose its parochial rights, yet its dependence on the parish priest of another church and its administration by a vicar has led to its being included loosely under the designation filial church.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 6: Fathers of the Church-Gregory XI 1840-1916 1913
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With never a hint of anything to fill the place of the much-discussed attribute we call filial instinct in the young of human kind, the black-and-gray pup conceived the greatest admiration for his father.
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Lady Mar gazed with a weird frown on the lovely form of Helen, as she wound her exquisitely turned arms around the earl in filial tenderness.
The Scottish Chiefs 1875
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Eleanor could not absent herself neither; she tried that; her father would have her there; and there was Mr. Carlisle, as much at home, and sharing with her in filial offices as a matter of rule, and associating with her as already one of the family.
The Old Helmet 1864
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'But, Sir! but my father!' cried Camilla, hanging over him, and losing in filial tenderness her personal distresses; 'if your manner of living is altered, and my dear mother returns home and sees you relinquishing any of your small, your temperate indulgencies, may it not yet more embitter her sufferings and her displeasure for the unhappy cause?
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Again filial gratitude silenced all but itself, and sleep, the softest she had known for many months, soon gave to oblivion every care in
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'Yes, Sir,' cried Eugenia, 'your kind task is now completed with your vanquished Eugenia! her thoughts, her occupations, her happiness, shall henceforth all be centred in filial gratitude and contentment.'
brtom commented on the word filial
His words here ended, but his meek aspect
Silent yet spake, and breath'd immortal love
To mortal men, above which only shon
Filial obedience ...
Milton, Paradise Lost III
December 18, 2006
qroqqa commented on the word filial
Odd. One would expect *filiar with the usual Latin dissimilation of -al- from preceding medial /l/, but (Late) Latin had only the form filialis.
June 18, 2009
scottnkris commented on the word filial
Philadelphia: brotherly love
June 4, 2014