paternity

noun

pa·ter·ni·ty | \ pə-ˈtər-nə-tē

Definition of paternity

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the quality or state of being a father

2 : origin or descent from a father

paternity

adjective

Definition of paternity (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : granted to a father paternity leave paternity rights

2 : of or relating to the determination of paternity a paternity suit

Examples of paternity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

During that time, Von der Leyen, a mother of seven, improved maternity and paternity pay rights. — Julia Webster, Time, "What to Know About Ursula von der Leyen, the Surprise Choice and First Woman Nominated for One of Europe's Top Jobs," 3 July 2019 Nick Senzel was called up from the Triple-A Bats and Bats left fielder VanMeter spent time with the club, as well, while Reds shortstop Jose' Iglesias was on paternity leave. — Rana Cash, The Courier-Journal, "Cincinnati Reds prospect Brian O'Grady's bat flip sparked a minor league baseball beef," 26 June 2019 Some of the wealthiest nations in the world provide little or no government-supported maternity or paternity leave for new parents, a U.N. report said Thursday. — Washington Post, "Southwest pulls Boeing 737 Max from its schedule for additional month," 13 June 2019 Zomato claims to be the first Indian company to offer both maternity and paternity paid leave, though global furniture giant Ikea instituted a similar policy for its Indian employees two years ago. — Rishi Iyengar, CNN, "Indian startup Zomato gives employees 26 weeks paid parental leave and $1,000 per child," 5 June 2019 There has been much discussion about how much maternity and paternity leave that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry plan—or don’t plan—to take. — Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle's Maternity Leave Is “Likely to be Longer” Than Three Months," 26 Apr. 2019 Food aggregator Zomato, for instance, recently announced 26 weeks of paternity leave. — Nupur Anand, Quartz India, "Infosys and L&T are the only Indian firms in a new list of 10 best employers in the country," 18 June 2019 Since the birth of his daughter Alexis Olympia, the co-founder and managing partner of VC firm Initialized Capital has been on a crusade to support fathers, to encourage paternity leave, and to get more dads to be involved in their children's lives. — Emily Dreyfuss, WIRED, "In Praise of Dadfluencers," 16 June 2019 Italy's paternity leave provision is the same as the UK's. — Nick Levine, refinery29.com, "These Are The Best (& Worst) Countries For Maternity Leave," 15 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'paternity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.