Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

maternal

/məˈtɝnəl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.77 in modern English

Syllables
ma-tern-al
IPA
/məˈtɝnəl/
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother; motherly.

adj

Related through the mother, or her side of the family.

adj

Derived from the mother as opposed to the foetus during pregnancy.

noun

A mother.

Dated; Informal

noun

A person related through the mother, or her side of the family; a maternal relative.

Example Sentences

Etymology

PIE word *méh₂tēr The adjective is derived from Late Middle English maternal, maternall, from Middle French maternel (“maternal”) (modern French maternel (“maternal; native”)), or from its etymon Late Latin māternālis (“maternal”), from Latin māternus (“maternal; related to the mother or her side of the family”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship from nouns). Māternus is derived from māter (“mother”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr (“mother”)) + -rnus (suffix forming adjectives). The English word is cognate with Italian maternale, materno, Portuguese maternal, materno, Spanish maternal, materno. The noun is derived from the adjective.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: maternal, maternel, māternālis, māternus, *méh₂tēr

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /məˈtɝnəl/
  • British English: /məˈtɜːnəl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more maternal (comparative) most maternal (superlative) maternall (alternative) maternals (plural)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce maternal?
The recorded pronunciation is /məˈtɝnəl/.
What does maternal mean?
Of or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother; motherly.
Where does maternal come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce maternal

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “maternal”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/məˈtɝnəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “maternal”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “maternal” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.