Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

paternalistic

/pətˌɝnəlˈɪstɪk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.46 in modern English

Syllables
pa-ter-nal-is-tic
IPA
/pətˌɝnəlˈɪstɪk/
17
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
5
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree English paternal Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English -istic English paternalistic From paternal + -istic.

Inflected Forms

more paternalistic (comparative) most paternalistic (superlative)

Derived Forms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce paternalistic?
The recorded pronunciation is /pətˌɝnəlˈɪstɪk/.
What does paternalistic mean?
the quality of being paternal, i.e. like a father, e.g. characterized by behaving in a benevolent yet intrusive manner towards underlings
Where does paternalistic come from?
Etymology tree English paternal Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English -istic English paternalistic From paternal + -istic.

How to pronounce paternalistic

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