maternal

Maternal is an adjective describing something relating to a mother, motherhood, or the maternal role. The term comes from Latin maternus ("motherly"). In everyday use it contrasts with paternal, which relates to a father.

In biology and genetics, maternal describes inheritance patterns and influences that originate from the mother. Mitochondrial DNA is typically inherited from the mother, defining matrilineal lineage. The maternal effect in genetics refers to a situation where the phenotype of offspring is determined by the mother's genotype or environment, rather than the offspring's own genes. The term is also used in anatomy to refer to maternal structures, such as maternal blood supply during pregnancy.

In medicine and public health, maternal refers to pregnancy and the care of the mother and fetus. Maternal health covers prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum periods. Maternal mortality is the death of a woman during pregnancy or within a set period after, from pregnancy-related causes. Maternal-fetal medicine is a subspecialty focusing on high-risk pregnancies. In psychology and sociology, maternal bonding and the maternal role describe a mother's caregiving and attachment.

In kinship, maternal line denotes descent traced through the mother (matrilineal). Related terms include matriarch, matriliny, and matrilineal; complement terms include paternal and patriarchy. The word is used in literature and discourse to emphasize motherly characteristics, such as maternal warmth or maternal instinct (a debated concept).