Meanings
nounpaternity leave (usually uncountable, plural paternity leaves)
plural paternity leaves
- uncountableusuallyA leave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby.
My husband is on a three-month paternity leave while he looks after our newborn baby and I’m working abroad.
Origin
From paternity + leave, modelled after maternity leave.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 陪產假 /陪产假
- 陪產假 /陪产假 (péichǎnjià)leave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
Danish barsel
- barselleave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
Dutch vaderschapsverlof
- vaderschapsverlofleave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
Finnish isyysloma
- isyyslomaleave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
French congé de paternité
- congé de paternitéleave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
German Vaterschaftsurlaub
- Vaterschaftsurlaubleave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
Irish saoire atharthachta
- saoire atharthachtaleave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
Polish urlop ojcowski
- urlop ojcowskileave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
Portuguese licença-paternidade
- licença-paternidadeleave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
Spanish permiso de paternidad, excedencia paternal
- permiso de paternidadleave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
- excedencia paternalleave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
- diábetes paternaleave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
Swedish faderskapsledighet
- faderskapsledighetleave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
Turkish babalık izni
- babalık iznileave of absence from a job for a father to care of a baby
Cite this entry
APA
paternity leave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paternity%20leave
MLA
“paternity leave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paternity%20leave. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “paternity leave,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paternity%20leave.
Source: paternity leave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.