LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

māternus

māternus (feminine māterna, neuter māternum)
Classical[maːˈtɛr.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[maˈtɛr.nus]

Meaning

  1. adjectiveof or pertaining to a mother, maternal
  2. adjectiverelated through the mother, or her side of the family

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativemāternusmāternamāternum
genitivemāternīmāternaemāternī
dativemāternōmāternaemāternō
accusativemāternummāternammāternum
ablativemāternōmāternāmāternō
vocativemāternemāternamāternum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativemāternīmāternaemāterna
genitivemāternōrummāternārummāternōrum
dativemāternīsmāternīsmāternīs
accusativemāternōsmāternāsmāterna
ablativemāternīsmāternīsmāternīs
vocativemāternīmāternaemāterna

māternus, a, um, adj. mater,
I. of or belonging to a mother, maternal (class.): sanguis, Enn. ap. Non. 292, 16 (Trag. v. 184 Vahl.): paternus maternusque sanguis, Cic. Rosc. Am. 24, 66: animus, Ter. Heaut. 4, 1, 24: nomen, Cic. Clu. 5, 12: menses, the months of pregnancy, Nemes. Cyn. 19: tempora, time of pregnancy, Ov. M. 3, 312: Caesar cingens maternā tempora myrto, i. e. of Venus, the mother of Æneas, from whom sprang the race of the Cæsars, Verg. G. 1, 28: arma (Aeneae), i. e. which his mother Venus had obtained for him from Vulcan, id. A. 12, 107: aves, i. e. the doves sacred to Venus, id. ib. 6, 193: avus, i. e. Atlas, the father of Maia, the mother of Mercury, id. ib. 4, 258: Delum maternam invisit Apollo, i. e. where his mother Latona had borne him, id. ib. 144: aequora, i. e. from which she (Venus) was born, Ov. F. 4, 131: Numa, related by the mother's side, id. P. 3, 2, 105; cf.: an ad maternos Latinos hoc senatus consultum pertineat, Gai. Inst. 3, 71: nobilitas, by the mother's side, Verg. A. 11, 340: Idus, i. e. of May (Mercury's birthday), Mart. 7, 71 5—Of animals: ut agnus condiscat maternum trahere alimentum, Col. 7, 3: perdix materna vacans cura, Plin. 10, 33, 51, § 103.
Māternus, i, m.,
I. a Roman surname: Curiatius Maternus, Tac. Or. 2.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*méh₂tēr
  2. Proto-Italic*mātēr
  3. Latinmāternus

Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Latin -nus Latin māternus From māter (“mother”) + -nus.

Descendants
  • Catalanmatern
  • Italianmaterno
  • Frenchmaternelfrom Middle French maternel
  • Romanianmaternalfrom Middle French maternel
  • Portuguesematerno
  • Romanianmatern
  • Spanishmaterno
  • Galicianmaterno

Quick answers

What does māternus mean in Latin?
māternus, a adjective, means “of or pertaining to a mother, maternal; related through the mother, or her side of the family”.
How do you pronounce māternus?
In classical Latin, [maːˈtɛr.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [maˈtɛr.nus].
Where does māternus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr → Proto-Italic *mātēr → Latin māternus.