The maternal instinct drove the female elephant to shield her calf from the approaching storm.
母性本能驱使母象保护幼崽免受即将来临的风暴侵袭。
Which choice best defines “maternal”?
A — Motherly. “maternal” means motherly.
Which word means “motherly”?
C — maternal. “maternal” means motherly.
maternal — motherly. In Chinese: 母亲的，母系的.
maternal is pronounced /məˈtɜːrnl/.
The maternal instinct drove the female elephant to shield her calf from the approaching storm. (母性本能驱使母象保护幼崽免受即将来临的风暴侵袭。)
motherly, nurturing, protective — all close in meaning to maternal (motherly).
paternal, detached — each the opposite of maternal (motherly).
Yes. maternal is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.
mater(mother)+nal.