paternal
adjective
pa·ter·nal pə-ˈtər-nᵊl 
1
a
: of or relating to a father
offered his children some paternal advice
paternal responsibilities
b
: like that of a father
paternal benevolence
2
: received or inherited from one's male parent
lived and worked on his paternal farm
3
: related through one's father
paternal grandfather
paternally
pə-ˈtər-nᵊl-ē
adverb 
Example Sentences
He did not neglect his paternal responsibilities after the divorce.
Recent Examples on the Web His paternal grandmother was Cile Turner of Virginia, a singer whose career spanned from the 1920s to the 1970s. 
Bill Bowden, Arkansas Online, 4 Sep. 2022 As a child, Smith spent summers with a half-dozen cousins at her paternal grandmother’s home in South Los Angeles, where love was abundant but the budget was so tight that lunch was sometimes mustard sandwiches. Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022 In her boldness and bearing, Williams has always reminded me of my undaunted nieces and cousins and my late paternal grandmother, Peggy Mae Streeter, a powerful Black woman born one generation from slavery. Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2022 Villar explores the mystery behind her paternal grandmother, Ana Rosa, who was a pianist and was lobotomized in the ‘50s. Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 11 Aug. 2022 Magee Coughlin’s paternal grandmother was born in this house, and her father grew up here, too. Danny Mcdonald, BostonGlobe.com, 9 July 2022 Thousands of others came south over land, often as factory workers or peddlers, like the Evanses and the Nachamsons, his paternal and maternal ancestors. New York Times, 2 Aug. 2022 The party’s media apparatus has used the visits to Hong Kong and now Xinjiang to present Xi as a confident, paternal authority, dominant even in once-turbulent regions on China’s periphery. Chris Buckley And Amy Qin, BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2022 His parents were born and raised in Mexico City, the descendants of European families—his paternal side hailing from Germany and his maternal side rooted in France. Christina Geyer, House Beautiful, 9 June 2022 See More
Bill Bowden, Arkansas Online, 4 Sep. 2022 As a child, Smith spent summers with a half-dozen cousins at her paternal grandmother’s home in South Los Angeles, where love was abundant but the budget was so tight that lunch was sometimes mustard sandwiches. Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022 In her boldness and bearing, Williams has always reminded me of my undaunted nieces and cousins and my late paternal grandmother, Peggy Mae Streeter, a powerful Black woman born one generation from slavery. Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2022 Villar explores the mystery behind her paternal grandmother, Ana Rosa, who was a pianist and was lobotomized in the ‘50s. Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 11 Aug. 2022 Magee Coughlin’s paternal grandmother was born in this house, and her father grew up here, too. Danny Mcdonald, BostonGlobe.com, 9 July 2022 Thousands of others came south over land, often as factory workers or peddlers, like the Evanses and the Nachamsons, his paternal and maternal ancestors. New York Times, 2 Aug. 2022 The party’s media apparatus has used the visits to Hong Kong and now Xinjiang to present Xi as a confident, paternal authority, dominant even in once-turbulent regions on China’s periphery. Chris Buckley And Amy Qin, BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2022 His parents were born and raised in Mexico City, the descendants of European families—his paternal side hailing from Germany and his maternal side rooted in France. Christina Geyer, House Beautiful, 9 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Late Latin paternalis, from Latin paternus paternal, from pater
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
paternal
adjective
pa·ter·nal pə-ˈtər-nᵊl
1
: of or like that of a father : fatherly
"I wasn't offering it to you, Poliakoff," snapped Karkaroff, his warmly paternal air vanishing … J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire2
: related through the father
my paternal cousins