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Glite Dictionary
🙅‍♀️ Not motherly 👩‍⚕️ Not from a mother
nonmaternal

nonmaternal

7.2
Not coming from a child's mother, for example care from a daycare worker
  • adjective
  • /ˌnɒn.məˈtɜrn.əl/
translation icon : no materno
  • The findings of Chase-Lansdale and Owen (in press), cited earlier, as well as those from other studies (e.g., Cochran & Robinson, 1983), indicate that boys might be particularly susceptible to any negative consequences of nonmaternal care in the first year.

Examples

  • Many children benefit from nonmaternal support systems when their mothers return to work.

  • The researcher studied the effects of nonmaternal care on early childhood development.

  • The program aims to provide nonmaternal alternatives for families seeking childcare.

Antonyms

maternal
55 3.8

Showing care and kindness like a mother

How Maternal

momism
  • US
1 9.9
motherly
16 2.3
maternal
55 3.8
nonmaternal
7.2

Surface Forms

nonmaternal positive

Morphology

nonmaternal = maternal (transparent) = non + maternal

The adjective is formed by adding 'non-' to 'maternal', yielding a straightforward negation meaning 'not provided by or relating to a mother'.

Etymology

Nonmaternal is formed from non- 'not' and maternal from a root meaning 'mother', as in maternity. So it means something that is not from a mother, for example care or support given by someone else.