characteristic of a father belonging to or inherited from one's father; "spent his childhood on the paternal farm"; "paternal traits
Paternal is used to describe feelings or actions which are typical of those of a kind father towards his child. He put his hand under her chin in an almost paternal gesture
Of or pertaining to ones father, his genes, his relatives, or his side of a family; contrasted with maternal; as, "paternal grandfather" (ones fathers father)
[ p&-'t&r-n& ] (adjective.) 15th century. From Old French paternal (“of a father”) (12c.), a learned borrowing from Vulgar Latin paternālis (“paternal”), from Classical Latin paternus (“of or pertaining to a father, paternal”), from pater (“father”).