paternal
/pəˈtɜɹ.nəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.26 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "paternal grandfather"
- "It was with a natural touch of pride that Norbourne Courtenaye paced his paternal hall, while waiting for his uncle, with whom he was going to ride."
- "The eldest son was usually given the name of his paternal grandfather, later children those of other relatives."
- "Thus, ere the ſeeds of vice were ſown, / Liv'd men in better ages born, / Who plow'd with oxen of their own / Their ſmall paternal field of corn."
- "Divide what? The estate that came from the father to the son. Amongst whom? The paternal brothers. If it means, that paternals and maternals shall now divide, as paternals formerly did, the whole sentence operates nothing; for without, the half blood on both sides, would have taken. But say it establishes a well-known standard to divide by, and that this standard excludes the maternals, then every word, as well as this word "only," has a material effect and energy."
- "If there are both paternal and maternal uncles and aunts, the maternals take a third, even if there is only one of them, and whether male or female, and the paternals two-thirds, even though there is only one of them, and whether male or female. If the maternals are of one kind, a male has the portion of two females."
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”).
Origin
- Source language: Old French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pəˈtɜɹ.nəl/
- British English: /pəˈtɜː.nəl/
Inflected Forms
more paternal (comparative)
most paternal (superlative)
paternall (alternative, obsolete)
paternals (plural)