paternity
Americannoun
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the state of being a father; fatherhood.
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derivation or acquirement from a father.
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origin or authorship.
adjective
noun
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the fact or state of being a father
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( as modifier )
a paternity suit was filed against the man
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descent or derivation from a father
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authorship or origin
the paternity of the theory is disputed
Etymology
Origin of paternity
1400–50; late Middle English paternite < Late Latin paternitās. See paternal, -ity
Explanation
Use the noun paternity to describe the relationship a father has to his child. You might say, "His paternity is so clear — his daughter has the same red hair that he does!" Fatherhood and the connection between a father and child is what paternity is all about, but the word most often comes up in legal situations. Attorneys use the word paternity when there is a question about who a child's biological father is or what kind of financial or legal responsibility he has. The Latin root is paternus, "relating to a father," from pater, "father."
Vocabulary lists containing paternity
It's All in the Family
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Not Your Father's Word List: Pater, Patr
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Paternity certainty was probably an important facet of the evolutionary transition from our hominid ancestors.
From Washington Post • Jun. 17, 2022
Q. Paternity test: I’ve been married just over two years, and if you had asked me two weeks ago, I would’ve said my husband was near perfect.
From Slate • Apr. 19, 2021
Paternity leave is a period of either one or two consecutive weeks that fathers or partners can take off from work to care for their baby or child.
From BBC • Nov. 5, 2019
Big Paternity forms partnerships with experts who double as media personalities.
From Salon • Jun. 23, 2019
Paternity and filial respect seemed to the Little Chaplain at the moment the inventions of cowards, created only to crush and mortify brave-hearted men.
From The Dead Command From the Spanish Los Muertos Mandan by Douglas, Frances
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
