Advertisement
🇵🇹Portuguese Source WordCode: PT

materno

Pronunciation / Transliteration: ma-ter-no

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Maternal/məˈtɝː.nəl/
adjectiveCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #3400 frequency
Full Thesaurus
🇵🇹 Example Sentence in Portuguese:

"O instinto materno é muito forte."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As adjective
  1. 1

    Relating to a mother, especially during pregnancy or childbirth.

    "The maternal instincts of the animal were evident as it cared for its young."
  2. 2

    Having qualities traditionally associated with mothers, such as nurturing and caring.

    "Her maternal nature made her a beloved figure in the community."
Advertisement

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the Late Latin word 'maternalis', stemming from 'mater' meaning mother, which traces back to Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr. The term entered Middle English via Old French in the late 15th century, initially denoting lineage through the mother before broadening to describe nurturing qualities associated with motherhood.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Maternal"?

Advertisement
Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Maternal"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Maternal" Synonym Map
Advertisement