Definition

1. Verb:
   • To determine or establish the paternity of a child: This legal term refers to the official act of identifying and legally declaring the biological father of a child, often to establish legal responsibilities such as child support.
   • To affiliate or associate: In broader, less common usage, it can mean to connect or attach something (like an organization or idea) to a source or larger body.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The judge ordered a DNA test to filiate the child to his alleged father.
  • The court filiated the child born out of wedlock, ensuring his right to support.
  • (Less common) The scholar sought to filiate the manuscript's ideas to an earlier philosophical tradition.

Advanced Usage

• "To filiate a child to someone": This is the standard legal construction for establishing paternity.
  • The legal process aims to filiate the child to the responsible parent.

Variants and Related Words

• Affiliate (verb): To officially attach or connect (an organization or member) to a larger body. This is the more common and general term for association.
  • The local club voted to affiliate with the national organization.
• Filiation (noun): The fact of being the child of a particular parent; lineage or descent. Also refers to the act of filiating.
  • The filiation of the heir was clearly documented.

Synonyms

• Establish paternity: To legally determine fatherhood.
• Ascribe: To attribute or assign a source or origin (for the broader, non-legal sense).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Related Idioms

Verb

1. fix the paternity of
   • The court filiated the child born out of wedlock