Paternity

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pəˈtɜːnɪti/

Definitions

1. The state of being a father typically involves both the biological link to a child and the associated social responsibilities of fatherhood
2. The condition of being a father encompasses the biological connection to a child and the societal roles and responsibilities inherent in fatherhood
3. The biological relationship between a man and his child ; the duties and roles a man undertakes as a father

Etymology: The root is the same one behind "father" and "pater," and the path to English runs through a few stages of borrowing. Latin "pater" gave rise to the adjective "paternus," meaning "of or pertaining to a father," and the abstract suffix "-itas" was attached to form "paternitas," a noun for the state or quality of being a father. That Latin noun passed into Old French and then Middle French as "paternité," and English later borrowed the word from French. The Latin suffix "-itas" is the same one that produced words like "charity" and "humanity" in English, so the word follows a common pattern for turning an adjective into a noun of state. "Paternity" thus names the condition of fatherhood rather than the act of begetting or the person who does it, a distinction that has made it the standard term in legal and genetic contexts.

Synonyms: fatherhood, parenthood, lineage, descent, ancestry

Antonyms: maternity, womanhood, motherhood, female, daughterhood