filiation

noun

fil·​i·​a·​tion ˌfi-lē-ˈā-shən 

1

a

: filial relationship especially of a son to his father

b

: the adjudication of paternity

2

a

: descent or derivation especially from a culture or language

b

: the act or process of determining such relationship

Examples of filiation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Krug’s academic research is focussed on unhomed peoples whose identities are not reducible to state or tribal filiation—indigenous peoples turned Africans turned slaves turned fugitives who forged a new sense of themselves out of thin air. —Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2020

Part of what the book achieves is a lucid rendering of the complex web of filiations and affiliations that connected not only these three central figures but also others in their orbit and in their disparate, often far-flung worlds. —Neel Mukherjee, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2018

But his response to Le Pen’s comment about his childlessness was something more earnest and full-throated, an impassioned rejection of the decrepit social order that limits filiation to a man and his seed. —Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 5 May 2017

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Legal Definition

filiation

noun

fil·​i·​a·​tion ˌfi-lē-ˈā-shən 

1

: a legal relationship of a parent and especially a father and child that creates rights and obligations

used to help prove filiation in a paternity suit

—LeBlanc v. LeBlanc, 427 So.2d 1361 (1986)

see also legitimate filiation compare acknowledgment, paternity

Note: The Louisiana Supreme Court has held that children not entitled to legitimate filiation to the alleged parent, or not legitimated or formally acknowledged by the alleged parent, may establish filiation in a filiation proceeding. This has led to some instances where the legitimate children of one father have been allowed to prove filiation to another father. Such an action does not make the children illegitimate but does create a status of dual paternity.

2

: adjudication of paternity or filiation

the court has made an order of filiation

—Idaho Code

Etymology

Late Latin filiatio relationship of a son and father, from Latin filius son