Etymology Explorer › Middle French

Where does “paternité” come from?

paternité (Middle French) comes from Latin paternitas, from Latin paternus, from Latin pater, from Proto-Italic patēr, from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- — to protect; to shepherd.

Ancestry of “paternité”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpaternitasfatherly feeling or care; fatherhood, paternity;...
2LatinpaternusOf or pertaining to a father, paternal, fatherly;...
3Latinpaterfather; head of household; parent
4Proto-Italicpatērfather
5Proto-Indo-Europeanph₂tḗrfather
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂-to protect; to shepherd

Words derived from “paternité”

  • paternity
  • nonpaternity
  • grandpaternity
  • heteropaternity
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- →