[ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副词或介词词组修饰的形容词]母亲般的;慈母般的Maternal is used to describe feelings or actions which are typical of those of a kind mother towards her child.
[usu ADJ n]
She had little maternal instinct...
她缺乏母性。
Her feelings towards him were almost maternal.
她对他的感情是近乎母亲般的。
2
[ADJ 形容词]母亲的;母性的Maternal is used to describe things that relate to the mother of a baby.
[ADJ n]
Maternal smoking can damage the unborn child.
母亲吸烟会对胎儿造成不良影响。
3
[ADJ 形容词]母亲一方的;母系的 A maternal relative is one who is related through a person's mother rather than their father.
[ADJ n]
Her maternal grandfather was Mayor of Karachi.
她的外公是卡拉奇市的市长。
Oxford
ma·ter·nal/məˈtɜːnl; NAmEməˈtɜːrnl/adjective1having 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。2connected 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。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▶ma·ter·nal·ly/məˈtɜːnəli; NAmEməˈtɜːrnəli/adverb◆She behaved maternally towards her students.她以母亲般的慈爱对待自己的学生。☞compare
1typical of the way a good mother behaves or feels → paternal: Annie was wonderfully warm and maternal. She seems to have a strong maternal instinct (=desire to have babies and take care of them).2[only before noun] relating to a mother or to being a mother → paternal: the relationship between maternal age and infant mortality3maternal grandfather/aunt etc your mother’s father, sister etc—maternally adverb
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