paternity

noun

1. the state of being a father; fatherhood.
2. derivation or acquirement from a father.
3. origin or authorship.

adjective

4. noting or pertaining to a legal dispute in which an unwed mother accuses a man of being the father of her child: a paternity suit.

noun

1. 1. the fact or state of being a father
   2. (as modifier)a paternity suit was filed against the man
2. descent or derivation from a father
3. authorship or originthe paternity of the theory is disputed

n.mid-15c., “condition of being a father,” from Old French paternité (12c.), from Late Latin paternitatem (nominative paternitas) “fatherly care, fatherhood,” from Latin paternus “of a father,” from pater (see father (n.)). Originally in the ecclesiastical sense; literal sense first recorded 1580s. Meaning “paternal origin” is from 1868. n.

1. The state of being a father; fatherhood.
2. Descent on a father’s side; paternal descent.