Meaning & use
maternally related
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparabletechnical
Connected through the mother's side of a family, not the father's.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb like 'be' or before a noun; it is not usually compared.
Patterns
- be maternally related to someone
- maternally related individuals
- maternally related relatives
The two children are maternally related because their mothers are sisters.
In this study, all the maternally related mice shared the same mitochondrial DNA.
She discovered that she was maternally related to a famous historical family.
adjectivenot comparablebiologytechnical
In biology, descended from the same female ancestor or sharing a mother's line.
Grammar: Used in scientific writing before a noun or after 'be'.
Patterns
- maternally related species
- maternally related populations
- be maternally related
These maternally related groups of whales all came from one original population.
The researchers compared maternally related plants to see how traits were passed on.
Because they are maternally related, the insects share the same inherited cell structures.
Common combinations
- maternally related to
- He is maternally related to the queen through his mother's family.
- maternally related individuals
- The scientists studied several maternally related individuals from the same village.
- maternally related species
- Maternally related species often share similar feeding habits.
- closely maternally related
- The two boys are closely maternally related because their mothers are twins.
Synonyms and how they differ
- related on one's mother's side
- The everyday phrase; clearer in normal conversation than the technical term.
- matrilineal
- Describes a whole system or line that passes through mothers, not just one family connection.
- maternal
- Simply means 'of the mother'; it does not by itself say two people are related.
Opposites
Word family
- maternal adjective
- Relating to a mother, especially through the mother's side of a family.
- maternally adverb
- In a way that relates to the mother or the mother's side.
- maternity noun
- The state of being a mother, or the period around having a baby.
Commonly confused: maternally related or paternally related? maternally related or maternal?
maternally related vs paternally related
Paternally related means connected through the father's side, not the mother's.
maternally related vs maternal
Maternal describes the mother's side in general; maternally related specifically means two people share a family link through the mother.
Practice
If two cousins are ______ related, their family connection comes through their mothers.
Choose one answer.
'Maternally' is the adverb that describes a connection through the mother's side. 'Paternally' would mean through the father's side. 'Maternal' is an adjective and cannot modify 'related' here. 'Maternity' is a noun and does not fit the sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “maternally related”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.