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

Despite her paternal musical lineage, Laila!’s rise has been gardened by women close to her including her sisters, grandmother, and mom-ager, who all call her their baby genius. —Elise Brisco, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2024

The unidentified individuals are reported to be related to Governor Walz through his paternal grandfather. —Peter Suciu, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024

North Carolina Mutual received early loans from a local white bank, and an apocryphal story passed down in white Durham said that tobacco magnate Washington Duke gifted the idea for the Mutual insurance company to Black leaders in an act of paternal wisdom. —Victor Luckerson, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Sep. 2024

My paternal family line is Salvi; my grandfather was an immigrant from El Salvador in Nicaragua. —Saraciea J. Fennell, refinery29.com, 3 Sep. 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