Paternal
Pronunciation : Pa*ter"nal
Part of Speech : a.
Etymology : [L. paternus, fr. pater a father: cf. F. paternel. See Father.]
Definition : 1. Of or pertaining to a father; fatherly; showing the disposition of a father; guiding or instructing as a father; as, paternal care. "Under paternal rule." Milton.
2. Received or derived from a father; hereditary; as, a paternal estate. Their small paternal field of corn. Dryden. Paternal government (Polit. Science), the assumption by the governing power of a quasi-fatherly relation to the people, involving strict and intimate supervision of their business and social concerns, upon the theory that they are incapable of managing their own afffairs.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913