parentage

noun

par·​ent·​age ˈper-ən-tij 

1

a

: descent from parents or ancestors : lineage

a person of noble parentage

b

: derivation, origin

a tradition of uncertain parentage

2

: parenthood

Synonyms

• ancestry
• birth
• blood
• bloodline
• breeding
• descent
• extraction
• family tree
• genealogy
• line
• lineage
• origin
• pedigree
• stock
• strain

Examples of parentage in a Sentence

they were pleased that their son's girlfriend was of good parentage

Recent Examples on the Web

This has allowed millions of people each year to automatically become American citizens irrespective of their parentage. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, TIME, 23 Jan. 2025

Of course, though, testing a child's parentage based on physical features is far too subjective — that's typically where DNA tests come in. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2025

Details of West’s birth were deliberately removed from the family’s genealogical records at the time, researchers found, suggesting that the secret of his true parentage is what inspired him to set sail across the Atlantic Ocean and join the colony. —Cnn, The Mercury News, 25 Dec. 2024

By going back in time, the writers are able to resolve theories once and for all like Dexter’s true parentage, which will be tackled in a later episode. —Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French, from parent parent entry 1 + -age -age

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

parentage

noun

par·​ent·​age ˈpar-ənt-ij 

ˈper-

: descent from parents or ancestors : lineage