lineal vs maternal

lineal

adj
  • Having an ancestral relationship to mothers, fathers, grandparents, (etc.) and having a descendant relationship to sons, daughters, grandchildren (etc.), exclusive of collateral siblings. 

  • Composed of lines; delineated. 

  • Inheriting by direct descent; having the right by direct descent to succeed (to). 

  • In the direction of a line; of a line; of or relating to a line; measured on, or ascertained by, a line; linear. 

maternal

adj
  • Related through the mother, or her side of the family. 

  • Derived from the mother as opposed to the foetus during pregnancy. 

  • Of or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother; motherly. 

noun
  • A person related through the mother, or her side of the family; a maternal relative. 

How often have the words lineal and maternal occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )