mateský

Materské is an adjective used in Czech and Slovak to express relation to motherhood or origin from the mother. It is derived from the word for mother and is used with nouns to indicate maternal connection. In both languages the form changes with gender and number: Czech uses mateřský (masc), mateřská (fem), mateřské (neuter); Slovak uses materský (masc), materská (fem), materské (neuter).

Common usage in Czech and Slovak includes everyday terms such as those for milk or institutions. In Czech, the phrase mateřské mléko means breast milk, while mateřská škola refers to a kindergarten. In Slovak, the corresponding expressions are materské mlieko and materská škola. The basic sense across contexts is “maternal” or “related to the mother.”

Beyond everyday language, materské is also used in genealogical and biological contexts to denote things on the mother’s side or originating from the mother, such as maternal lineage or maternal traits. The exact phrasing varies between Czech and Slovak, reflecting the languages’ parallel but distinct grammar and orthography.

Summary: materské (Czech) and materské/mateřské (Slovak) describe maternal relations or origins. The term appears in phrases about material tied to motherhood, such as maternal milk and maternal institutions, as well as in discussions of ancestry and inheritance related to the mother.