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filial - 5 dictionary results

fil⋅i⋅al

  [fil-ee-uhl]
Use filial in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of, pertaining to, or befitting a son or daughter: filial obedience.
2. noting or having the relation of a child to a parent.
3. Genetics. pertaining to the sequence of generations following the parental generation, each generation being designated by an F followed by a subscript number indicating its place in the sequence.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < LL fīliālis, equiv. to L fīli(us) son + -ālis -al 1

Related forms:
fil⋅i⋅al⋅ly, adverb
fil⋅i⋅al⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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fil·i·al   (fĭl'ē-əl, fē'lē-)   
adj.  
  1. Of, relating to, or befitting a son or daughter: filial respect.
  2. Having or assuming the relationship of child or offspring to parent.
  3. Genetics Of or relating to a generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin fīliālis, from Latin fīlius, son; see dhē(i)- in Indo-European roots.]
fil'i·al·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Filial

Fil"ial\, a. [L. filialis, fr. filius son, filia daughter; akin to e. female, feminine. Cf. Fitz.]

1. Of or pertaining to a son or daughter; becoming to a child in relation to his parents; as, filial obedience.

2. Bearing the relation of a child.

And thus the filial Godhead answering spoke. --Milton.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : filial
Spanish: filial,
German: kindlich,
Japanese: 子の
More Translations »

filial 
1393, from M.Fr. filial, from L.L. filialis "of a son or daughter," from L. filius "son," filia "daughter," possibly from a suffixed form of PIE root *bheue- "to be, exist, grow" (see be), though *dhe(i)- "to suck, suckle" (see fecund) "is more likely" [Watkins].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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filial fil·i·al (fĭl'ē-əl)
adj.

  1. Relating to the relationship of offspring to parents.
  2. In genetics, relating to a generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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