paternity
paternity — noun
1. a man's status as a child's father, especially in legal or official records.
a man's status as a child's father, especially in legal or official records.
The court ordered a DNA test to prove the child's paternity.
prove paternity in legal context
Marcus accepted paternity and began sending money for the baby.
accept paternity after birth
Questions about paternity delayed the baby's passport for three weeks.
The family hid the boy's paternity until he applied for a passport.
A hospital form asked whether Omar denied paternity before the birth.
- fatherhood
broader and more personal; often about the experience of being a father, not formal proof
- parentage
formal and family-history focused; can refer to both parents, not only the father
- lineage
broader and often historical; refers to family descent across generations
- maternity
the formal relation of being a mother
- motherhood
the everyday state or experience of being a mother
文法句型
prove paternity
establish paternity
deny paternity
accept paternity
用法筆記
Common after verbs like prove, establish, deny, and accept. More formal than fatherhood, and often used in legal, medical, or official documents.
常見錯誤
2. the position of being the first creator of an idea, method, or product.
the position of being the first creator of an idea, method, or product.
At the museum, historians still debate the paternity of the first telephone design.
the paternity of + invention
The newspaper credited Chen with paternity of the bike-share plan.
Later studies credited Dr. Lin with paternity of the reading method used in village schools.
At trial, lawyers argued over the paternity of the app's original code.
A museum label credits Bell with paternity of the new device.
- origin
broader and more general; can describe where anything starts
- authorship
used especially for books, articles, and written ideas
- invention
best when the new thing is a device, tool, or technique
文法句型
the paternity of + idea
the paternity of + product
credit someone with paternity
用法筆記
Usually followed by 'of' and found in formal writing. Distinguish from sense 1 (FATHER STATUS): this sense is about who first created something, not about family relations.
常見錯誤
paternity — adjective
1. given to a father, especially as leave, pay, or other support after a baby is bo
given to a father, especially as leave, pay, or other support after a baby is born.
The company now offers two weeks of paternity leave.
collocation: paternity leave
New fathers can apply for paternity pay after the birth.
collocation: paternity pay
The HR handbook at City Hall explains which new fathers may receive paternity benefits.
The union asked for longer paternity leave in the new contract.
Several staff members requested better paternity benefits last year.
文法句型
paternity + leave
paternity + pay
paternity + benefits
用法筆記
Almost always used before nouns such as leave, pay, or benefits. Distinguish from paternal, which can describe a father's behaviour or side of a family more generally.