The combined net worth of the 2012 class of the 400 richest Americans is $1.7 trillion, up from $1.5 trillion a year ago. The average net worth of a Forbes 400 member is a staggering $4.2 billion, up from $3.8 billion, and the highest ever, as two-thirds of the individuals added to their fortunes in the past year. Another factor: the gap between the very rich and the merely rich is widening.
paternalism (pÂ·terËÂ·nlÂ·izm), n a conflict between beneficence and auton-omy, such as when a practitioner ignores the choice that a patient makes because he or she feels that more good can be done by the practitioner's judgment. See also beneficence and autonomy.
1 adj Paternal is used to describe feelings or actions which are typical of those of a kind father towards his child. usu ADJ n. He put his hand under her chin in an almost paternal gesture. 2 adj A paternal relative is one that is related through a person's father rather than their mother. ADJ n. ...my paternal grandparents. Translation English Cobuild Collins Dictionary &nbsp. See also: parental, paternalist, paternalism, prenatal. Add your entry in the Collaborative Dictionary.