Father

A father is the male parent of a child. Fathers may be categorised according to their biological, social or legal relationship with the child. Historically, the biological relationship paternity has been determinative of fatherhood. However, proof of paternity has been intrinsically problematic and so social rules often determined who would be regarded as a father e.g. the husband of the mother. This method of the determination of fatherhood has persisted since Roman times. The historical approach has been destabilised with the recent emergence of accurate scientific testing, particularly DNA testing. As a result, the law on fatherhood is undergoing rapid changes.

Terminology

The most familiar English terms for father include dad, daddy, papa, pop and pa. Other colloquial expressions include my old man.

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German term "vati"

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Hebrew term "abba"

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Yiddish term "tatti" or "ta"

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