Maternalising

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Making a person or thing take on the nurturing, protective qualities associated with a mother
2. Causing someone to adopt the caring and protective attitudes typical of a mother figure
3. Bringing out motherly warmth, care, or instinct in a person or in the way something is handled

Etymology: "Maternalising" is the British spelling of "maternalizing," the present participle of "maternalise," which means to make something more maternal in character, or to bring a maternal quality to it. The verb is built from "maternal," itself borrowed from Latin "maternus," meaning "of a mother," which comes from "mater," mother. The suffix "-ise" (or "-ize" in American spelling) turns the adjective into a verb, so the word follows a common pattern of adjective-plus-suffix formation in English. The verb's sense rests on the adjective's core meaning: something maternal relates to motherhood, or to the qualities associated with a mother. Making something "maternalised" therefore means shaping it so that it takes on those qualities, such as nurturing care or protectiveness. Because the root is so transparent, the word needs little explanation once its parts are known.

Synonyms: mothering, nurturing