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paternity

Syllabification: (pa·ter·ni·ty)
Pronunciation: /pəˈternitē/
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Definition of paternity

noun

  • 1(especially in legal contexts) the state of being someone’s father:he refused to admit paternity of the child
  • 2paternal origin:his enemies made great play of the supposed dubiety of his paternity

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French paternité, from late Latin paternitas, from paternus 'relating to a father'

paternity in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of paternity in the British & World English dictionary

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