having feelings that are typical of a caring mother towards a child 母親的；母親般慈愛的 connected with being a mother 母親的；作爲母親的 Maternal age affects the baby's survival rate. 母親的年齡影響嬰兒的成活率。 the effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy 懷孕期間母親吸煙的影響
- [only before noun]
related through the mother’s side of the family 母系的；母親方面的 my maternal grandfather (= my mother’s father) 我的外祖父
Word Originlate 15th cent.: from French maternel, from Latin maternus, from mater ‘mother’.