'Paternal' definitions:
Definition of 'paternal'
(from WordNet)
adjective
Belonging to or inherited from one's father; "spent his childhood on the paternal farm"; "paternal traits"
adjective
Characteristic of a father [ant: maternal]
adjective
Relating to or characteristic of or befitting a parent; "parental guidance" [syn: parental, maternal, paternal] [ant: filial]
adjective
Definition of 'Paternal'
From: GCIDE
- Paternal \Pa*ter"nal\, a. [L. paternus, fr. pater a father: cf. F. paternel. See Father.]
- 1. Of or pertaining to a father; fatherly; showing the disposition of a father; guiding or instructing as a father; as, paternal care. "Under paternal rule." --Milton. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Received or derived from a father; hereditary; as, a paternal estate. [1913 Webster]
- Their small paternal field of corn. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
- Paternal government (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. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'paternal'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- adoring,
- affectionate,
- ancestorial,
- ancestral,
- concerned,
- conjugal,
- demonstrative,
- devoted,
- faithful,
- fatherlike,
- fatherly,
- filial,
- fond,
- grandfatherly,
- grandmotherly,
- grandparental,
- husbandly,
- indulgent,
- kindly,
- languishing,
- lovelorn,
- lovesick,
- lovesome,
- loving,
- maternal,
- melting,
- mother,
- motherlike,
- motherly,
- parent,
- parental,
- patriarchal,
- patrilateral,
- patrilineal,
- patrilinear,
- patrimonial,
- romantic,
- sentimental,
- soft,
- solicitous,
- tender,
- uxorious,
- wifely