parentage

noun

par·​ent·​age ˈper-ən-tij How to pronounce parentage (audio)
1
a
: descent from parents or ancestors : lineage
a person of noble parentage
b
: derivation, origin
a tradition of uncertain parentage
2

Examples of parentage in a Sentence

they were pleased that their son's girlfriend was of good parentage
Recent Examples on the Web That’s because, at the time, the province defaulted legal parentage to the person who gave birth to the child, so becoming the legal parents could be complicated if the child was born there. Hazlitt, 30 Aug. 2023 Meanwhile, Daniel Deronda, an Englishman of uncertain parentage who magically turns out to be a Sephardic Jew, spends the length of the novel on a quest both for his identity and for his ideal mate, Mirah, a Jewish refugee of great beauty, physically and spiritually. James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023 House Bill 4121 authorized a presiding judge to appoint a child support referee to process or hear certain child support or parentage matters. Jamie Goldberg, oregonlive, 14 Dec. 2022 The new measure also removes gender-specific language from the state’s parentage law to make every path to parentage available on a gender-neutral basis. NBC News, 2 June 2021 But large blocks of identical DNA are evidence the child's parentage involved first-degree relatives. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 11 Feb. 2011 Edinbyrd, who was present at the birth, said Mila's parentage is not in dispute and said that the family does not know the people on the form. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2023 Children of mixed-race parentage were not officially recognized by the state, which depended upon clear hierarchies and distinctions of race. Jocelyn C. Zuckerman, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Apr. 2023 Considering her parentage, Carrie inheriting a passion for performing seemed written in the stars. Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 4 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'parentage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French, from parent parent entry 1 + -age -age

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of parentage was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near parentage

Cite this Entry

“Parentage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parentage. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

parentage

noun
par·​ent·​age ˈpar-ənt-ij How to pronounce parentage (audio)
ˈper-
: descent from parents or ancestors : lineage

More from Merriam-Webster on parentage

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