Topic: BIRTH
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| Date: | 1400-1500 |
| Language: | French |
| Origin: | maternel, from Latin maternus, from mater 'mother' |
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ma‧ter‧nal
1 typical of the way a good mother behaves or feels [↪ paternal]: Annie was wonderfully warm and maternal.
Annie was wonderfully warm and maternal.2 [only before noun]MB relating to a mother or to being a mother [↪ paternal]: the relationship between maternal age and infant mortality
the relationship between maternal age and infant mortality —maternally adverb
