paternel
paternal, fatherly
adjective pah-tehr-NEHL Rare
Origin: Latin paternus, from pater (father)
Usage Note
Paternel can refer to biological relationship (oncle paternel = paternal uncle) or to a fatherly manner (ton paternel = fatherly tone). The feminine is paternelle. Le paternel is an informal way of saying 'one's father' in colloquial speech.
Examples
"Il avait un regard paternel sur ses élèves."
Natural Translation
He had a fatherly gaze towards his students.
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