# fatherly

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈfɑːðəli/ · frequency rank #47,055

## Definitions
1. Characteristic of what is considered the ideal behaviour pertaining to fatherhood.
2. Befitting of a father; protective, paternal.

## Etymology
From Middle English faderly, from Old English fæderlīċ (“fatherly, paternal”), from Proto-West Germanic *faderlīk, from Proto-Germanic *fadurlīkaz (“fatherly, paternal”), equivalent to father + -ly. Cognate with West Frisian faderlik (“fatherly”), Dutch vaderlijk (“fatherly”), German väterlich (“fatherly”), Danish faderlig (“fatherly”), Swedish faderlig (“fatherly”), Icelandic föðurlegur (“fatherly”) . Doublet of fatherlike.

## Easily confused with
- **fathers** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fatherly-vs-fathers)
- **father** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/father-vs-fatherly)

## Common misspellings (13)
`aftherly`, `fahterly`, `fatehrly`, `fathelry`, `fatherlly`, `fatherlyy`, `fatherrly`, `fatheryl`, `fathherly`, `fathrely`, `fattherly`, `ffatherly`, `ftaherly`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fatherly