Maternal

google

ref

late 15th century: from French maternel, from Latin maternus, from mater ‘mother’.

wiktionary

ref

The adjective is derived from Late Middle English maternal, maternall, from Middle French maternel(“maternal”) (modern French maternel(“maternal; native”)), or from its etymonLate Latin māternālis(“maternal”), from Latin māternus(“maternal; related to the mother or her side of the family”) + -ālis(suffix forming adjectives of relationship from nouns). [1] [2]Māternus is derived from māter(“mother”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr(“mother”)) + -rnus(suffix forming adjectives). The English word is cognate with Italian maternale, materno, Portuguese maternal, materno, Spanish maternal, materno. [1]

The noun is derived from the adjective.

etymonline

ref

maternal (adj.)

late 15c., "of or pertaining to a mother or motherhood; characteristic of mothers," from Old French maternel (14c.), from Vulgar Latin *maternalis, from Latin māternus "maternal, of a mother," from māter "mother" (see mother (n.1)). From 1650s as "inherited or derived from a mother;" by 1784 as "motherly, having the instincts of a mother." Related: Maternally.