paternity

 
Pronunciation: /pəˈtəːnɪti/

noun

[mass 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'