Parentage refers to who someone's parents are, or the identity and background of a person's mother and father. When you talk about someone's parentage, you're discussing their family origins: where their parents came from, who they were, and what background they had.

The word often appears in historical stories or legal situations. In many classic tales, discovering a character's true parentage becomes an important plot point. For example, a character might learn they are of noble parentage, meaning their parents were aristocrats or royalty, which changes everything about their identity and future.

Parentage can matter in practical ways too. Adoption records might document a child's biological parentage. Family trees trace parentage back through generations. In some countries, citizenship or inheritance rights depend on parentage.

The word carries a formal tone. You wouldn't usually say “What's your parentage?” in casual conversation. Instead, you might ask “Where are your parents from?” or “What's your family background?” But in legal documents, historical accounts, or formal discussions about ancestry, parentage is the precise term for the relationship between parents and their children.