English
maternal
Maternal comes from Latin māternus ‘of or pertaining to a mother, maternal’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*méh₂tēr‘mother’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*mātēr‘mother’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmāter‘mother’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmāternus‘of or pertaining to a mother, maternal’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600maternel
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500maternal
- Englishearliest quotation 1650same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*méh₂tēr‘mother’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*mātēr‘mother’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmāter‘mother’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmāternus‘of or pertaining to a mother, maternal’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600maternel
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500maternal
- Englishearliest quotation 1650same form
Earliest quotation: 1650, Edward Leigh, Pious: “However, the Hebrew (I ſay) is the moſt antient…”
The story
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English maternal, maternall, from Middle French maternel (‘maternal’) (modern French maternel (‘maternal; native’)), or from its etymon Late Latin māternālis (‘maternal’), from Latin māternus (‘maternal; related to the mother or her side of the family’) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship from nouns). Māternus is derived from māter (‘mother’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr (‘mother’)) + -rnus (suffix forming adjectives). The English word is cognate with Italian maternale, materno, Portuguese maternal, materno, Spanish maternal, materno.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr ‘mother’
through Latin māter ‘mother’
Today it means
adj Of or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother; motherly.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr / maternal