Pronunciation: [pətˈɜːnɪti] (IPA) 
The word "paternity" refers to the state of being a father or the relationship between a father and his child. In terms of its spelling, "paternity" is pronounced /pəˈtɜːrnɪti/ (pə-TUR-ni-tee) in IPA phonetic transcription. The word is spelled with an "a" in the second syllable, even though the pronunciation sounds more like an "e" sound. This is due to the fact that the word's origin is from the Latin word "pater" meaning "father."
Paternity refers to the legal, biological, or social relationship between a father and his child. The term specifically pertains to establishing the identity or acknowledgement of a man as the father of a child. Paternity can be determined through various means, including a voluntary acknowledgment by the father, a court-ordered paternity test, or other legal procedures.
From a legal standpoint, paternity holds significant importance as it establishes the rights and responsibilities of a father towards his child. These may include financial obligations such as child support, inheritance, custody, and visitation rights. Paternity also has social and emotional implications, as it contributes to a child's sense of identity, family background, and access to information about their genetic and medical history.
In cases where the paternity of a child is in question, genetic testing, commonly known as a paternity test, can be conducted to determine the biological relationship between a potential father and the child. This testing involves comparing the DNA profiles of the child, the alleged father, and the child's mother to ascertain paternity with a high degree of accuracy.
Overall, paternity encompasses both legal and biological dimensions and plays a crucial role in establishing the relationship between a father and his child. It helps determine rights, responsibilities, familial connections, and serves as a foundation for legal proceedings and arrangements pertaining to child support, custody, and visitation.
The relation or condition of a father; fathership.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "paternity" originated from the Latin word "paternitas", which is derived from "pater", meaning "father". In English, "paternity" dates back to the late 14th century and refers to the state of being a father or the quality of being a father. It is commonly used to refer to the legal or biological relationship between a man and his child.
