<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>the state of being a father; fatherhood</li><li>derivation or acquirement from a father</li><li>origin or authorship</li></ul><p><strong>Adjective</strong></p><ul><li>noting or pertaining to a legal dispute in which an unwed mother accuses a man of being the father of her child: a paternity suit</li></ul>