Maternal means relating to a mother — or motherly. Material is the stuff something is made of, or as an adjective, physical and relevant. Maternal instinct; building material. They share a root — the Romans saw matter as the mother-stuff of things — and nothing else.
The core difference
- maternal — of or like a mother; on the mother's side. Maternal grandmother, maternal love, maternal health.
- material — noun: a substance things are made from; cloth; facts or ideas to work with. Raw materials, dress material, research material. Adjective: physical; significant. Material possessions, a material difference.
The tell
Maternal sits with mother, maternity and matriarch. Material sits with matter. The slip usually runs one way: material instinct for maternal instinct, and maternity is almost never written for materials. If a mother is in the sentence, it is maternal.
In use
- maternal — My maternal grandfather was a miner. She felt a sudden maternal protectiveness.
- material — The material frays at the edges. He was never interested in material wealth.
Common slips
- material instinct → maternal instinct
- building maternals → building materials
Maternal is mother; material is matter.
Where the words come from
Maternal is from Latin maternus, from mater "mother". Material is from Latin materia, "matter, timber" — and materia itself comes from mater: the hard inner wood of a tree was seen as its mother-stuff, the source of growth. So the two are the same root, one kept for mothers and one for matter.
Frequently asked questions
What does "maternal grandmother" mean?
Your mother's mother. The father's side is paternal.
Is material related to mother?
Yes — Latin materia, matter, comes from mater, mother: the "mother-stuff" of things. The words parted company long ago.
What is a material fact?
One that matters — significant enough to affect a decision, especially in law or insurance.