Ma is known to be construed as such -- but not pa (9)
I believe the answer is:
kinswoman
'construed as such but not pa' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'ma is known to be' is the wordplay.
'to be' indicates an anagram.
'ma'+'is'+'known'='maisknown'
'maisknown' anagrammed gives 'KINSWOMAN'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for kinswoman that I've seen before include "Female family member" , "Female relative" , "one of the family!" , "Relation" .)