# motherly

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈmʌðəli/ · frequency rank #40,802

## Definitions
1. Befitting a mother; warm, caring, nurturing, protective, loving.

## Etymology
From Middle English moderly, from Old English mōdorlīċ (“motherly, maternal”), from Proto-Germanic *mōdērlīkaz (“motherly, maternal”), equivalent to mother + -ly.

## Easily confused with
- **mothers** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/motherly-vs-mothers)
- **mother** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mother-vs-motherly)

## Common misspellings (13)
`mmotherly`, `mohterly`, `motehrly`, `mothelry`, `motherlly`, `motherlyy`, `motherrly`, `motheryl`, `mothherly`, `mothrely`, `mottherly`, `mtoherly`, `omtherly`

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