of, pertaining to, or befitting a son or daughter:
filial obedience.
2.
noting or having the relation of a child to a parent.
3.
Genetics. pertaining to the sequence of generations following the parental generation, each generation being designated by an F followed by a subscript number indicating its place in the sequence.
Origin
1350-1400;Middle English < Late Latinfīliālis, equivalent to Latinfīli(us) son + -ālis-al1
Related forms
filially, adverb
filialness, noun
nonfilial, adjective
Examples from the web for filial
In an age when filial duty was a point of pride, especially for daughters, this was especially hurtful.
Of course, that kind of filial piety has its limitations.
In truth, such a defense is full of filial affection.
But there is reason to suspect that filial piety leads her to see his relationship to her father with exaggerated intensity.
And his younger characters remain sounding boards for the film's ideas about filial duty and the pressures of the modern world.
It is a grimly compelling chronicle of paternal enabling and filial profligacy.
Loyalty is the equivalent of filial piety on a different plane.
British Dictionary definitions for filial
filial
/ˈfɪljəl/
adjective
1.
of, resembling, or suitable to a son or daughter: filial affection
2.
(genetics) designating any of the generations following the parental generation; F1 indicates the first filial generation, F2 the second, etc F
Derived Forms
filially, adverb filialness, noun
Word Origin
C15: from Late Latin fīliālis, from Latin fīlius son
Word Origin and History for filial
adj.
late 14c., from Middle French filial, from Late Latin filialis "of a son or daughter," from Latin filius "son," filia "daughter," possibly from a suffixed form of PIE root *bheue- "to be, exist, grow" (see be), though *dhe(i)- "to suck, suckle" (see fecund) "is more likely" [Watkins].
filial in Medicine
filial fil·i·al (fĭl'ē-əl) adj.
Relating to the relationship of offspring to parents.
In genetics, relating to a generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation.