Paternity dictionary definition

paternity

noun

pl. pa·ter·ni·ties

adjective

Relating to or involving the identification of a person's biological father: a paternity suit.

Origin of paternity

Middle English paternite from Old French from Late Latin paternitās from Latin paternus paternal ; see paternal .

paternity

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural paternities)

Origin

From Latin paternitÄs (“paternity"), from paternus (“of or pertaining to a father, paternal") + -itÄs, from pater (“father").

She kept a son born to her shortly before the palace revolution of 1762, whose paternity could not be attributed to Peter, at a distance, though she provided for him.
The intimacy between him and this "brown, beautiful, bold but insipid creature," as John Evelyn calls her, who chose to be known as Mrs Barlow (Barlo) lasted with intervals till the autumn of 1651, and Charles claimed the paternity of a child born in 1649, whom he subsequently created duke of Monmouth.
This increased his anxiety to temporize, which he did with signal success for more than two years, making ' The grave doubt as to the paternity of Matthew involved a doubt whether the great earl of Tyrone and his equally famous nephew Owen Roe had in fact any O'Neill blood in their veins.
A large majority of the names of the parents mentioned seem to be feminine in form or meaning, and suggest that the Nethinim could not trace back to any definite paternity; and this is confirmed by the fact that the lists are followed by the enumeration of those who could not "show their father's house" (Ezra ii.
The Aruntas among them are said to have no idea of paternity, but believe that local spirits of tree, rock or stream enter women as they pass by their haunts.

paternity