paternal

adjective

pa·​ter·​nal pə-ˈtər-nᵊl 

1

a

: of or relating to a father

offered his children some paternal advice

paternal responsibilities

b

: like that of a father

paternal benevolence

2

: received or inherited from one's male parent

lived and worked on his paternal farm

3

: related through one's father

paternal grandfather

paternally

pə-ˈtər-nᵊl-ē 

adverb

Examples of paternal in a Sentence

He did not neglect his paternal responsibilities after the divorce.

Recent Examples on the Web

There was a first-cousin match on the paternal line, and a first cousin once removed on the maternal line. —Sarah Weinman, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2024

Genetic evidence points to distinct paternal settlers of the Faroe Islands and Iceland Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 25 Nov. 2024

His paternal grandparents and maternal great-grandparents immigrated through Ellis Island. —Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024

Norton shows me a photo on his phone of Seeger and Dylan sitting side by side on a trip to the South, and another where Seeger is watching Dylan perform to a huge crowd, his face alight with paternal joy. —Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin paternalis, from Latin paternus paternal, from pater

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

paternal

adjective

pa·​ter·​nal pə-ˈtərn-ᵊl 

1

: fatherly

paternal advice

2

: received or inherited from one's father

3

: related through the father

a paternal grandfather

paternally

-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

Etymology

from Latin paternalis "fatherly," from earlier paternus (same meaning), from pater "father" — related to padre, patron, pattern