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maternal

adjective
🔊/məˈtɜːnl/
🔊/məˈtɜːrnl/
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  1. having feelings that are typical of a caring mother towards a child母亲的；母亲般慈爱的
    • maternal love母爱
    • I'm not very maternal.我不太像个母亲。🔊🔊
    • She didn't have any maternal instincts.她没有一点做母亲的天性。🔊🔊
    Topics Family and relationshipsc2
  2. connected with being a mother母亲的；作为母亲的
    • Maternal age affects the baby's survival rate.母亲的年龄影响婴儿的成活率。🔊🔊
    • the effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy孕期孕妇吸烟的影响
  3. [only before noun] related through the mother’s side of the family母系的；母亲方面的
    • my maternal grandfather (= my mother’s father)我的外祖父
    Topics Family and relationshipsc2
    4. Word Originlate 15th cent.: from French maternel, from Latin maternus, from mater ‘mother’.