SINCE 1828
filiate
transitive verb
fil·i·ate
| \ ˈfi-lē-ˌāt\
filiated;
filiating
Legal Definition of filiate
: to declare (a child) the descendant of a particular parent and especially a father
has not been filiated by the initiative of the parent — Louisiana Civil Code
— compare acknowledge sense 2b, legitimate
Note: A child may be illegitimate but filiated. Both legitimation and acknowledgment filiate an illegitimate child. Adopted children are filiated by the adoption proceeding.
Comments on filiate
What made you want to look up filiate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Farm Idioms Quiz
-
- What does 'poke' refer to in the expression 'pig in a poke'?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share filiate
Resources for filiate