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paternal + noun
His paternal grandfather was a doctor.
他的祖父是医生。
父亲的；父系的；得自父亲的
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
父亲的；父系的；得自父亲的
belonging to or inherited from one's father
His paternal grandfather was a doctor.
他的祖父是医生。
Of or pertaining to one's father, his genes, his relatives, or his side of a family.
His paternal grandfather taught him how to fish.
他的祖父教会了他钓鱼。
She felt a paternal concern for her young students.
她对年轻的学生们怀有一种父亲般的关切。
He gave me some paternal advice before the job interview.
在求职面试前，他给了我一些父亲般的建议。
His paternal grandfather was a doctor.
他的祖父是医生。
paternal 作表语时，常用 toward 或 to 引出对象，语气较正式。
The coach is very paternal toward the young players.
这位教练像父亲一样对待年轻队员。
Not this
The school provides paternal care for boarding students.
Use this
The school provides parental care for boarding students.
paternal 仅指“父亲的/父方的”，而表示“父母的（父亲和母亲双方）”应用 parental。中文“父母的”对应 parental，不能因形近而误用 paternal。
Not this
My paternal grandmother is my mother's mother.
Use this
My maternal grandmother is my mother's mother.
paternal 表示“父系的、父亲的”，母亲的母亲属于母系，应使用 maternal（母亲的/母方的）。这两个词方向相反，容易混淆。
Not this
He was like a paternal to me.
Use this
He was like a father to me.
paternal 是形容词，不能作名词；表示“父亲”这一身份或角色时应用名词 father。这里需要的是名词作表语，
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
祖父母
Both of my paternal grandparents grew up in Shanghai.
我的祖父母都在上海长大。
父系；父亲一方
Her artistic talent comes from her paternal side.
她的艺术天赋来自父系一方。
父系血统
The family name is passed down through the paternal lineage.
这个姓氏通过父系血统传承。
父性本能；父爱本能
His paternal instinct kicked in when he held the baby.
他一抱起婴儿，父性本能就被激发了。
父爱
Paternal love is often shown through quiet support.
父爱往往通过默默的支持表现出来。
父亲般的关怀
He showed paternal care to his young students.
他对年轻学生表现出父亲般的关怀。
Use paternal naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
开头 pat 像 parent（父母）的开头，联想父亲般的、父系的；音似‘怕他呢’——小时候怕父亲，正是 paternal。
语域：formal 常见场景：正式写作或演讲、法律或医学文书、文学描写 paternal 多用于正式或书面语境，表示“父亲的；父系的；父亲般的”。日常口语中更常用 fatherly 或 father's，在法律或医学等专业场景中（如 paternal rights、paternal lineage）也较常见。实际使用时可根据场合选择。
这些词都以 -ternal 结尾，重音在 -ter-，元音与 paternal 的 /ɜː/ 相同，因此都押韵。注意 parental /pəˈrentəl/ 与 paternal 形似，但元音不同，不押韵。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, OCTANOVE, WIKTIONARY.