Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Relating to or characteristic of a father or fatherhood; fatherly.
- adjective Received or inherited from a father.
- adjective Related through one's father.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Of or pertaining to a father; proper to or characteristic of a father; fatherly: as, paternal care or affection; paternal favor or admonition.
- Derived from the father; hereditary; as, a paternal estate.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to a father; fatherly; showing the disposition of a father; guiding or instructing as a father.
- adjective Received or derived from a father; hereditary.
- adjective (Polit. Science) the assumption by the governing power of a quasi-fatherly relation to the people, involving strict and intimate supervision of their business and social concerns, upon the theory that they are incapable of managing their own affairs.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Of or pertaining to one's
father , his genes, his relatives, or his side of a family; as, "paternalgrandfather " (one's father's father). - adjective
Fatherly ; behaving as or characteristic of a father. - adjective
Received orinherited from one's father. - adjective
Acting as a father; as in "paternalfilicide " (murder of a son committed by his father).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective belonging to or inherited from one's father
- adjective relating to or characteristic of or befitting a parent
- adjective characteristic of a father
- adjective related on the father's side
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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The term paternal correction is also applied to it.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 4: Clandestinity-Diocesan Chancery 1840-1916 1913
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The word paternal is gender neutral, or may be used for the male guardian, but it primarily relates to or is characteristic of befitting a parent.
France Lets In Gay Adoption Under Sarkozy « Unambiguously Ambidextrous 2008
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“Just so,” said Mr Low — only that what you call a paternal government is not always quiet and orderly.
Phineas Finn 2004
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"Just so," said Mr Low -- only that what you call a paternal government is not always quiet and orderly.
Phineas Finn 1867
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The novel's representation of the paternal is of course implicated in this drawing and redrawing of the boundaries of nature.
Patriarchal Fantasy and the Fecal Child in Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein_ and its Adaptations 2003
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The use of the word paternal calls to mind the way they threw a cordon around the country to prevent at the threshold the entrance of men who were unprepared for the hardships with either clothing or supplies or physique.
Policing the Plains Being the Real-Life Record of the Famous North-West Mounted Police R.G. MacBeth
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He strove hard to reconcile the memories of the night with the feelings of the morning -- strove to realize a state of mind in which a measure of forgiveness to his son blended with a measure of satisfaction to the wounded pride he called paternal dignity.
Weighed and Wanting George MacDonald 1864
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Imposition of hands was a ceremony used especially in paternal blessings; Jacob used it when he blessed and adopted the sons of Joseph, Gen. xlviii.
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume V (Matthew to John) 1721
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"Just so," said Mr. Low, — "only that what you call a paternal government is not always quiet and orderly.
Phineas Finn Trollope, Anthony, 1815-1882 1869
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"Just so," said Mr. Low, -- "only that what you call a paternal government is not always quiet and orderly.
Phineas Finn The Irish Member Anthony Trollope 1848
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