Where does “paternity” come from?
Paternity comes from Middle French paternité, from Latin paternitas, formed from pater meaning father and the Latin suffix -itas, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr.
paternity (English): fatherhood, being a father; parental descent from...
Definitions
- fatherhood, being a father; parental descent from...
Ancestry of “paternity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | paternité | — |
| 2 | Latin | paternitas | fatherly feeling or care; fatherhood, paternity;... |
| 3 | Latin | paternus | Of or pertaining to a father, paternal, fatherly;... |
| 4 | Latin | pater | father; head of household; parent |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | patēr | father |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₂tḗr | father |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂- | to protect; to shepherd |