paternity
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the condition of being a father, especially the time when a man cares for his new baby.
the state or quality of being a father; fatherhood.
Simple“He decided to take two weeks of paternity leave to help with the newborn.”
In context“The company's updated policy offers generous paternity leave, encouraging fathers to take an active role in early childcare.”
SynonymsfatherhoodAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the fact of who a person's father is, often proven by a medical test.
the legal or biological identification of a man as the father of a specific child.
Simple“The court ordered a paternity test to settle the dispute.”
In context“Establishing paternity was a crucial step in the legal proceedings to ensure the child received proper financial support.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
the source or creator of an idea, book, or invention.
the origin or authorship of a work, idea, or project.
Simple“Historians still debate the paternity of this famous political theory.”
In context“The paternity of the manuscript remained obscure until carbon dating confirmed it was written in the fourteenth century.”
Synonyms
“While you do pay out a lot in social security payments as an autónomo , the good news is that you do get several benefits back, including maternity and paternity pay.”
“Albert II abdicated as king of the Belgians in 2013 as the paternity issue became a royal scandal.”
From Middle French paternité, from Old French, from Latin paternitās (“paternity”), from paternus (“of or pertaining to a father, paternal”) + -itās, from pater (“father”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.