paternity

noun

Save Word

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 Barrero, who was on the taxi squad in preparation for Kyle Farmer taking paternity leave for the birth of his son, had his biggest opportunity arrive in the top of the ninth inning with a runner on first base. — Bobby Nightengale, The Enquirer, 11 Sep. 2021 The Red Sox also placed infielder Jonathan Araúz on the COVID-19 list, and lefty Austin Davis went on paternity leave. — Jay Cohen, ajc, 11 Sep. 2021 Alissa Wong gave birth to son Kash Kaha in Milwaukee on Saturday, the second day of Wong’s three-day paternity leave. — Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2021 But the pandemic, in an admittedly highly unpleasant way, gave dads more family time, yielding effects similar to those of paternity leave. — Joe Pinsker, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2021 There is currently no federal law that provides paternity leave in China. — Jessie Yeung, CNN, 25 Aug. 2021 Gerrish for years had been an engineer for Google, Jeffe said, and had only recently begun working at Snapchat after his paternity leave had ended. — Matthias Gafni, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Aug. 2021 Alex Verdugo was in the lineup batting second after missing the last four games while on paternity leave. — BostonGlobe.com, 13 Aug. 2021 RHP Ryne Stanek was reinstated from the paternity list. ... — Joe Reedy, Chron, 24 Sep. 2021

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.