Definition of FATHERLY

fatherly

Adjective Satellite

  • like or befitting a father or fatherhood; kind and protective

Adj

  • Characteristic of what is considered the ideal behaviour pertaining to fatherhood.
  • Befitting of a father; protective, paternal.

Adv

  • In a way pertaining to, befitting, or of a father.

Adjective

  • Characteristic of or resembling a father; paternal.

Examples

  • His FATHERLY advice to play defensively proved crucial in the Scrabble match.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English faderly, from Old English fæderlīċ (“fatherly, paternal”), from Proto-West Germanic *faderlīk, from Proto-Germanic *fadurlīkaz (“fatherly, paternal”), equivalent to father + -ly. Cognate with West Frisian faderlik (“fatherly”), Dutch vaderlijk (“fatherly”), German väterlich (“fatherly”), Danish faderlig (“fatherly”), Swedish faderlig (“fatherly”), Icelandic föðurlegur (“fatherly”) . Doublet of fatherlike.

Synonyms

fatherlike

Scrabble Score: 17

fatherly: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
fatherly: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
fatherly: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

fatherly: valid Words With Friends Word