parentage

[pair-uhn-tij, par-]

noun

1. derivation or descent from parents or ancestors; birth, origin, or lineage.

   a man of distinguished parentage.

   Synonyms: stock, extraction, ancestry

2. the state or relation of a parent; parenthood.

parentage

/ ˈpɛərəntɪdʒ /

noun

1. ancestry

2. derivation from a particular origin

3. rare,  parenthood

Word History and Origins

Origin of parentage¹

From Middle French, dating back to 1480–90; parent, -age

Example Sentences

Political debates would likely intensify over who qualifies as a citizen, and whether new legislation would define eligibility by parentage, residency, or other criteria.

From Salon

The judge ordered that baby Eleanor be placed for adoption, and also made a "declaration of non parentage".

From BBC

She can reduce someone to a few simple stats: height, weight, education, parentage and bank balance.

From Los Angeles Times

And although she didn’t know it, Estelle was misled about her parentage — her elder sister was actually her mother; the mother who raised them both was her grandmother.

From Los Angeles Times

As an expert breeder, Wade Bennett can tell you the precise parentage of every one of the 140 head of Charolais cattle he keeps on a small holding on the edge of Nebraska’s rolling Sandhills.

From BBC

Related Words

• bloodline 
• derivation 
• lineage