Definition of PATERNAL

paternal

Adjective

  • Relating to or characteristic of a father.
  • belonging to or inherited from one's father
    • "spent his childhood on the paternal farm"
    • "paternal traits"
  • characteristic of a father
  • relating to or characteristic of or befitting a parent

Adjective Satellite

  • related on the father's side
    • "a paternal aunt"

Adj

  • Of or pertaining to one's father, his genes, his relatives, or his side of a family.
  • Fatherly; behaving as or characteristic of a father.
  • Received or inherited from one's father.
  • Acting as a father.

Examples

  • paternal grandfather
  • With a paternal eye, he watched his new Words With Friends opponent make a rookie mistake.

Origin / Etymology

From Old French paternal (“of a father”) (12c.), a learned borrowing from Vulgar Latin paternālis (“paternal”), from Classical Latin paternus (“of or pertaining to a father, paternal”), from pater (“father”).

Antonyms

filial, maternal

Scrabble Score: 10

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

Words With Friends Score: 13

paternal: valid Words With Friends Word