maternal

adjective

ma·ter·nal | \ mə-ˈtər-nᵊl

Definition of maternal

1 : of, relating to, belonging to, or characteristic of a mother : motherly maternal love maternal instincts

2a : related through a mother his maternal aunt

b : inherited or derived from the female parent maternal genes

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Examples of maternal in a Sentence

Doctors are concerned about the effects of the drug on maternal health. her maternal instincts told her that something was wrong

Recent Examples on the Web

On the other hand, DNA from mitochondria—a cell’s energy engine—is passed from mother to child and thus only reveals genetic information from the maternal line. — Allysia Finley, WSJ, "The Making of a DNA Detective," 15 Feb. 2019 According to a study from the World Health Organization published in The Lancet, breastfeeding could prevent 823,000 infant deaths and 20,000 maternal deaths every year, worldwide. — Ashley Welch, CBS News, "Why breastfeeding is the "gold standard" for babies' health," 10 July 2018 My maternal great-grandma, Abuela Emilia, was born in Puerto Rico around 1913 and died in 2003. — Illyanna Maisonet, SFChronicle.com, "Bacalaitos as familial memory and penance," 5 July 2018 Under the direction and choreography of Paramount Theatre’s Amber Mak, Johnny Shea will star as Peter, while Elizabeth Stenholt will play Wendy, the oldest of the Darling siblings and the maternal leader of the Lost Boys. — Kt Hawbaker, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago Shakes announces casting for this summer's 'Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure'," 25 May 2018 The most obvious question concerns the maternal bond: Who can claim it more persuasively, the birth mother or the woman who has raised the child? — Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, "‘Daughter of Mine’ Review: What Makes a Mother," 31 Jan. 2019 Maria Isidra Polanco, Avila’s maternal grandmother, was born in Colima, Mexico, and raised her five children in the Koreatown neighborhood in Los Angeles. — Providence Cicero, The Seattle Times, "Sawyer’s Julio Avila re-imagines his grandmother’s beloved tres leches cake recipe — with an extra burst of ‘milk’," 29 Jan. 2019 Schwarzenegger's maternal grandmother is Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of JFK and RFK, so there could more than a few Kennedys at the wedding. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger's Wedding: Everything We Know So Far," 14 Jan. 2019 That his maternal grandparents’ messy divorce, 10 years before he was born, reverberates in his work seems, well, far-fetched. — Karen Wilkin, WSJ, "‘Born to Be Posthumous’ Review: Peculiar, Cynical, Ironic & Witty," 21 Dec. 2018

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