Where does “paternal” come from?

paternal (Old French) comes from Vulgar Latin paternalis, from Latin paternus, from Latin pater, from Proto-Italic patēr, from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- — to protect; to shepherd.

paternal (Old French): paternal

Definitions

  1. paternal

Ancestry of “paternal”, step by step

paternal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vulgar Latin paternalis

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vulgar Latinpaternalispaternal
2LatinpaternusOf or pertaining to a father, paternal, fatherly;...
3Latinpaterfather; head of household; parent
4Proto-Italicpatērfather
5Proto-Indo-Europeanph₂tḗrfather
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂-to protect; to shepherd

via Latin paternalis

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinpaternalisOf or pertaining to a father, paternal
2Latin-ālis—
3Proto-Italic-ālisforms relational adjectives

Words derived from “paternal”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr →Every word from Proto-Italic patēr →