mater i at ure (materiatur)

[ or cares. Ah, that maternal smile! Cowper , On the Receipt of my Mother's Picture, We smile to see our little ones at play So grave, so thoughtful, with maternal care Nursing the wisps of rags they call their babes. O. W. Holmes, Idols. 2. Relating to or consisting of mothers; concerning the state of motherhood: as, a maternal a ociation; a maternal hospital. - 3. Coming from or through a mother; imparted by or connected with one's mother: as, a maternal inheritance; a maternal uncle or cousin; mater nal ancestry or lineage. That part alone of gro maternal frame Fire shall devour. Gay , Apotheosis of Hercules. Clive... is driven over the downs to Brighton, to his maternal aunt there. Thackeray , New comes, v. 4. Of or pertaining to the country of one's birth; native; vernacular. English-speaking mi ionaries have planted their ma ternal dialect at scores of important points. G. P. Marsh , Lects. on Eng. Lang., i. = Syn. Parental , etc. See motherly .