noun

parentage

PAIR-unt-ij/ˈperəntɪdʒ/

A person’s origins through parents or ancestors.

She is proud of her Irish and Mexican parentage.

An adult woman sits between her mother and father looking through a family photo album; similar family features and one older photo of the same parents holding her as a baby make her parentage clear.

Etymology

parentageOld Frenchparental relationship

Parentage first described the parental relationship expressed in recognizing and caring for children. Its meaning shifted to descent from parents, making it a word for ancestry or the identity of someone's parents.

In context

AnimalWised0:40

feline friends and help strengthen our bond together [Music] around 30% of a cat's character is related to their genetic makeup this includes features characteristic of their breed and their parentage

Cat Behavior Explained - KITTENS and ADULT CATS

More examples

The adopted child knows little about his biological parentage.
Old birth records help her trace her parentage.
The prince's royal parentage gives him a claim to the throne.

Forms

parentage

parent noun — A person's mother or father.

parental adjective — Relating to a parent or parents.

Similar words

ancestry: Emphasizes earlier generations rather than just a person's parents.
lineage: Emphasizes a direct family line across several generations.
descent: Focuses on origin from particular ancestors or ancestral groups.