Adjective > Maternal
1 a : of or relating to a mother : MOTHERLY
maternal love
maternal feelings/instincts
1 b : always used before a noun : of or relating to a woman who is having a baby
Doctors are concerned about the effects of the drug on maternal health.
maternal smoking
2 : always used before a noun : related through the mother
his maternal grandparents (=the parents of his mother)
a maternal aunt/uncle
— maternally adverb
She smiled at them maternally.
maternally inherited genes