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Webster 1913 Edition
Motherly
Moth′er-ly
,Adj.
[AS.
mōdorlic
.] Of or pertaining to a mother; like, or suitable for, a mother; tender; maternal;
as,
. motherly
authority, love, or careHooker.
Syn. – Maternal; paternal.
–
Motherly
, Maternal
. Motherly, being Anglo-Saxon, is the most familiar word of the two when both have the same meaning. Besides this, maternal is confined to the feelings of a mother toward her own children, whereas motherly has a secondary sense, denoting a care like that of a mother for her offspring. There is, perhaps, a growing tendency thus to separate the two, confining motherly to the latter signification. “They termed her the great mother, for her motherly care in cherishing her brethren whilst young.” Sir W. Raleigh.
Moth′er-ly
,adv.
In a manner of a mother.
Webster 1828 Edition
Motherly
MOTHERLY
,Adj.
1.
Becoming a mother; tender; parental; as motherly love or care.MOTHERLY
,adv.
Definition 2024
motherly
motherly
English
Adjective
motherly (comparative more motherly, superlative most motherly)
- Befitting a mother, warm, caring, nurturing, protective, loving.
- 1945 May, George Orwell, chapter 1, in Animal Farm: A Fairy Story, London: Secker & Warburg, OCLC 3655473:
- Clover was a stout motherly mare approaching middle life
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Translations
befitting a mother, warm, caring, nurturing, protective, loving
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