abuelo materno

/aˈβwelo maˈteɾno/
maternal grandfather

Mi abuelo materno nació en Galicia.

My maternal grandfather was born in Galicia.


neutral

The grandfather on one's mother's side.

Visité a mi abuelo materno todos los veranos.

I visited my maternal grandfather every summer.

El abuelo materno de María es muy sabio.

María's maternal grandfather is very wise.

Used to specify the lineage of the grandfather. The opposite term is 'abuelo paterno' (paternal grandfather).

Collocations

abuelos maternosmaternal grandparentsfamilia maternamaternal family

Related Phrases

abuela maternaphrase
maternal grandmother
por parte de madrephrase
on the mother's side

Pro Tip

Remembering the term

Think of 'materno' as related to 'madre' (mother). The phrase literally means 'grandfather from the mother's side'.

Gold Rule

Lineage specification

In Spanish, family terms often include lineage (materno/paterno) to clarify relationships. Always use 'materno' for mother's side and 'paterno' for father's side.

Word Origin

Composed of 'abuelo' (grandfather) from Latin 'avus' (grandfather) and 'materno' (maternal) from Latin 'maternus' (of a mother).

Usage Notes

Commonly used in family contexts to distinguish between maternal and paternal grandparents. The phrase follows the structure of specifying lineage after the noun.

Word Breakdown

abuelo
grandfather
root
+
materno
maternal
adjective
Diccionario Español-Inglés