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Definitions of maternal
  1. adjective
    relating to or characteristic of or befitting a parent

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  2. adjective
    related on the mother's side
    "my maternal grandmother"

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  3. adjective
    characteristic of a mother
    "warm maternal affection for her guest"
    Opposite:
  4. relating to or derived from one's mother
    "maternal genes"
Definition that contains maternal
  • motherly in a maternal manner; as a mother
  • unilateral tracing descent from either the paternal or the maternal line only
  • synapsis the side by side pairing of homologous maternal and paternal chromosomes at the start of meiosis
  • erythroblastosis fetalis severe anemia in newborn babies; the result of Rh incompatibility between maternal and fetal blood; typically occurs when the child of an Rh-negative mother inherits Rh-positive blood from the father; can be diagnosed before birth by amniocentesis
  • matronymic a name derived from the name of your mother or a maternal ancestor
  • frank breech position of a fetus in which the buttocks are present at the maternal pelvic outlet
  • maternalistic showing maternal instincts
  • metronymic a name derived from the name of your mother or a maternal ancestor
  • bilateral descent line of descent traced through both the maternal and paternal sides of the family
  • cognation line of descent traced through the maternal side of the family
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