adj.
- Relating to or characteristic of a father or fatherhood; fatherly.
- Received or inherited from a father: a paternal trait.
- Related through one's father: my paternal aunt.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin paternālis, from Latin paternus, from pater, father.]
paternally pa·ter'nal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
