maternalma‧ter‧nal /məˈtɜːnl $ -ɜːr-/ ●○○ adjective 
Annie was wonderfully warm and maternal. She seems to have a strong maternal instinct (=desire to have babies and take care of them).2[only before noun] relating to a mother or to being a mother: the relationship between maternal age and infant mortality3maternal grandfather/aunt etc your mother’s father, sister etc—maternally adverb
WORD ORIGINmaternal
Origin:
1400-1500 French maternel, from Latin maternus, from mater ‘mother’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Maternal smoking increases the risk of low birth weight.
- Aunt Mary was a large, maternal woman who worked as a nurse in a children's hospital.
- I get sort of maternal when I'm around those kids.
- Lack of maternal love can have a profound effect on a child's psychological development.
- My oldest sister, Roberta, used to fuss over me in a rather maternal manner.
- The older girls seemed to feel quite maternal towards the younger ones.
- Also, he has the confidence to let me know when I use my maternal prerogative to automatically overrule him.
- At first, reading this passage I let out a gasp: I had never seen maternal ambivalence described on the page.
- His maternal uncle, William Dauney, had been an architect in Aberdeen.
- Our results pertain to a sample of 101 subjects, in many of whom the birth weight was obtained by maternal recall.
- The content of the false self rises out of maternal expectations and claims.
- They would think her maternal instinct outraged at the extraction of her child?
- Though maternal age and birth order have an independent effect on the viability of the fetus, that act together.
Longman Language Activatortypical of a mother's feelings or behaviour
· My oldest sister, Roberta, used to fuss over me in a rather maternal manner.· Lack of maternal love can have a profound effect on a child's psychological development.
behaving in a kind and caring way like a mother · Aunt Mary was a large, maternal woman who worked as a nurse in a children's hospital.maternal towards · The older girls seemed to feel quite maternal towards the younger ones.
behaving like a mother, especially by being very kind and looking after people: · "Don't worry," Laura said in a gentle motherly way.· Miss Gilbert was motherly but firm, an excellent teacher for the lower forms.
WORD SETSafterbirth, nounantenatal, adjectiveartificial insemination, nounbaby blues, nounbarren, adjectivebarrier method, nounbear, verbbirth control, nounbreast-feed, verbbreech birth, nouncaesarean, nouncap, nounchildbearing, nounchildbirth, nounconceive, verbconfinement, nouncontraception, nouncontraction, nounC-section, noundeliver, verbdelivery, noundiaphragm, nounDutch cap, nounembryo, nounembryology, nouneugenics, nounfamily planning, nounfertility, nounfertility drug, nounfertilize, verbfetal, adjectivefetus, nounfoetal position, nounfoetus, nounfull-term, adjectivegestation, noungonad, nounincubator, nouninduce, verbinduction, nouninfant mortality rate, nouninfertile, adjectiveIUD, nounIVF, nounmaternal, adjectivematernity, nounmidwife, nounmidwifery, nounmilk, nounmiscarriage, nounmiscarry, verbmorning-after pill, nounmorning sickness, nounmother-to-be, nounmum-to-be, nounnatal, adjectivenatural, adjectivenatural childbirth, nounneuter, verbnurse, verbobstetrics, nounoral contraceptive, nounoviduct, nounovulate, verbovum, nounperinatal, adjectivepostnatal, adjectivepreemie, nounpregnancy, nounpregnant, adjectivepremature, adjectivepresentation, nounprocreate, verbproduce, verbquickening, nounreproduce, verbreproduction, nounreproductive, adjectiverhythm method, nounspay, verbsterile, adjectivesterilize, verbstillbirth, nounstillborn, adjectivestretch mark, nounsurrogate mother, nounswaddle, verbswaddling clothes, nountermination, nountest-tube baby, nountrimester, nounultrasound, nounumbilical cord, noununborn, adjectivewean, verbzygote, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY She seems to have a strong maternal instinct (=desire to have babies and take care of them).COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES an appallingly high infant mortality rate (=number of babies who die)COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
She seems to have a strong maternal instinct (=desire to have babies and take care of them). (=the instinct of a mother)· Kate's maternal instinct told her to pick the child up and comfort it.
an appallingly high infant mortality rate (=number of babies who die)· As Appendix Table A. 10 shows, in the communities studies, rising maternal age has an increasingly deleterious effect on viability.· As mentioned above, the rate of reduction in the level of infant mortality was not uniform in each maternal age group.· It should be noted that, jointly with maternal age, parity is also associated with maternal mortality.
· Each extra year of school also reduces the birthrate and cuts maternal deaths.· Illegal abortion was the leading cause of maternal death before Roe v. Wade.· Ayear after the ban was lifted, the number of maternal deaths fell by half.
· Behavioural problems at 3-4 years of age have also been associated with maternal depression, both concurrent and postnatal.
· We are to christen this child Pilade, being the name of Ferdinando's maternal grandfather whom he wishes to honour.· He inherited the honorary title from his maternal grandfather, William Harold Pearson.· Her background was middle-class, cultured, my maternal grandfather being a rabbi.
· It was the only time in her life that she had noticed her maternal grandmother at a disadvantage, on the defensive.· Pataki later revealed that his maternal grandmother and an uncle had entered the country illegally.· My maternal grandmother was a strong-willed woman.· My maternal grandmother, Ke-Son, was the only other person who went with him, as had been planned.· Three drops of herbal potion placed on my tongue by my maternal grandmother saved my life.
· E.'s maternal grandparents applied for residence and contact orders and on 18 February 1992 all the applications were consolidated.· Her maternal grandparents had come to New York for the occasion.· Dorothy, the eldest, went to the maternal grandparents, where she stayed for a number of years.
· And these patterns determine, at least inpart, the viability of the offspring, infant and childhood mortality conditions and maternal health.
· Pity probably, and an over-developed maternal instinct.· They would think her maternal instinct outraged at the extraction of her child?· The maternal instinct can't be dumped, even when you've got rid of your baby.· A strong maternal instinct takes over.
· The sensible diet and strict routine also did him good, but the surrogate maternal love was best of all.· They're depriving their children of the maternal love that is the child's by right.· There had been no gush of maternal love.· He didn't know how it had happened, but Sarah was giving all her maternal love to the wrong child.· She could see no sign of maternal love in her daughter.
· The real frequency of worldwide maternal mortality may be as much as three to five times higher than this ratio.· In some places, it meant maternal mortality and female infanticide.· None the less, the London Bills of Mortality suggest that maternal mortality halved from 1700 to 1800.· It should be noted that, jointly with maternal age, parity is also associated with maternal mortality.
· In other studies information on maternal smoking during pregnancy was not available.
· His maternal uncle, William Dauney, had been an architect in Aberdeen.· Even during the operation, performed by other maternal uncles, there is much talking, humour and giving of advice.· What is to be made of this extraordinary permissiveness on the part of the maternal uncle?
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
1typical of the way a good mother behaves or feels: - He inherited the honorary title from his maternal grandfather, William Harold Pearson.
- Her background was middle-class, cultured, my maternal grandfather being a rabbi.
- We are to christen this child Pilade, being the name of Ferdinando's maternal grandfather whom he wishes to honour.
Annie was wonderfully warm and maternal. She seems to have a strong maternal instinct (=desire to have babies and take care of them).2[only before noun] relating to a mother or to being a mother: the relationship between maternal age and infant mortality3maternal grandfather/aunt etc your mother’s father, sister etc—maternally adverb