paternal /pəˈtɚnl/ adjective
1 : of or relating to a father
- He did not neglect his paternal responsibilities after the divorce.
- He offered them some paternal [=fatherly] advice.
2 always used before a noun : related through the father
- his paternal grandparents [=the parents of his father]
- a paternal aunt/uncle
— paternally adverb
- He smiled at them paternally.
- paternally inherited genes