Paternity

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Paternity \Pa*ter"ni*ty\, n. [L. paternitas: cf. F.
     paternit['e]. See {Paternal}.]
     1. The relation of a father to his child; fathership;
        fatherhood; family headship; as, the divine paternity.
        [1913 Webster]
  


              The world, while it had scarcity of people,
              underwent no other dominion than paternity and
              eldership.                            --Sir W.
                                                    Raleigh.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Derivation or descent from a father; male parentage; as,
        the paternity of a child.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Origin; authorship.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The paternity of these novels was . . . disputed.
                                                    --Sir W.
                                                    Scott.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  paternity
       n 1: the state of being a father; "tests were conducted to
            determine paternity"
       2: the kinship relation between an offspring and the father
          [syn: {fatherhood}]
       3: the act of initiating a new idea or theory or writing; "the
          authorship of the theory is disputed" [syn: {authorship}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  49 Moby Thesaurus words for "paternity":
     affiliation, agnation, alliance, ancestry, blood,
     blood relationship, brotherhood, brothership, cognation,
     common ancestry, common descent, connection, consanguinity,
     cousinhood, cousinship, descent, enation, extraction, family,
     fatherhood, fatherliness, filiation, fraternity, heritage, kindred,
     kinship, line, lineage, maternity, matrilineage, matriliny,
     matrisib, matrocliny, motherhood, parentage, paternalness,
     patrilineage, patriliny, patrisib, patrocliny, propinquity,
     relation, relationship, sibship, sisterhood, sistership, stock,
     strain, ties of blood
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  PATERNITY, The state or condition of a father. 
       2. The husband is prima facie presumed to be the father of his wife's 
  children, born during coverture, or within a competent time afterwards pater 
  is est quem nuptim demonstrant. 7 N. S. 553. But this presumption may be 
  rebutted by showing circumstances which render it impossible that the 
  husband can be the father. 6 Binn. 283; 1 Browne's R. Appx. xlvii.; Hardin's 
  R. 479; 8 East, R. 193; Stra. 51, 940. 4 T. R; 356;. 2 M. & K. 349; 3 
  Paige's R. 139; I Sim. & Stu. 150; Turn. & Russ. 138; 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 302, 
  et seq. 
       3. The declarations of both or one of the spouses, however, cannot 
  affect the condition of a child born during the marriage. 7 N. S. 553; 3 
  Paige's R. 139. Vide Bastard;. Bastardy;, Legitimacy; Maternity; Pregnancy.