Both Uses of
maternal
in
War and Peace
- Her maternal instinct told her that Natasha had too much of something, and that because of this she would not be happy.†
Chpt 7 *
- Only the old countess with her maternal instinct had realized that all Natasha's outbursts had been due to her need of children and a husband—as she herself had once exclaimed at Otradnoe not so much in fun as in earnest—and her mother was now surprised at the surprise expressed by those who had never understood Natasha, and she kept saying that she had always known that Natasha would make an exemplary wife and mother.†
Chpt 15
Definition:
-
(maternal as in: maternal grandmother) relating to a mother; or characteristic of parents -- such as to care for and help to develop