paternity UK /pəˈtɜːnɪti/US /pəˈtɜɹnəti/ noun4 •Fatherhood, the state or quality of being a father. •Parental descent from a father. •Legal acknowledgement of a man's fatherhood of a child. •(figurative) Authorship.The author asserted her right to paternity on the book's copyright page. formspaternities