First Known Use: before 12th century
Dictionary
1father
noun fa·ther \ˈfä-thər\
: a male parent
: a man who is thought of as being like a father
: a person who was in someone's family in past times
Full Definition of FATHER
1
2
3
a : one related to another in a way suggesting that of father to child b : an old man —used as a respectful form of address
4
often capitalized : a pre-Scholastic Christian writer accepted by the church as an authoritative witness to its teaching and practice —called also church father
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6
: a priest of the regular clergy; broadly : priest —used especially as a title
7
: one of the leading men (as of a city) —usually used in plural
— fa·ther·hood \-ˌhu̇d\ noun
— fa·ther·less \-ləs\ adjective
— fa·ther·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective or adverb
See father defined for English-language learners
See father defined for kids
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Origin of FATHER
Middle English fader, from Old English fæder; akin to Old High German fater father, Latin pater, Greek patēr
Related to FATHER
2father
verb
: to become the father of (a child) : to make a woman pregnant so that she gives birth to (a child)
of a man : to invent, create, or produce (something)
fa·theredfa·ther·ing \ˈfäth-riŋ, ˈfä-thə-\
Full Definition of FATHER
transitive verb
1
a : beget b : to be the founder, producer, or author of <fathered the improvement plan> c : to accept responsibility for
2
a : to fix the paternity or origin of b : to place responsibility for the origin or cause of <collected gossip and fathered it on responsible men — J. A. Williamson>
intransitive verb
: to care for or look after someone as a father might
See father defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of FATHER
15th century
FATHER Defined for Kids
1father
noun fa·ther \ˈfä-thər\
Definition of FATHER for Kids
1
: a male parent
2
cap : god 1
3
: ancestor 1
4
: a person who cares for another as a father might
5
: a person who invents or begins something <the father of modern science>
6
: priest Hint:This sense of father is used especially to address a priest or as a priest's title.
— fa·ther·hood \-ˌhu̇d\ noun
— fa·ther·less \-ləs\ adjective
2father
verb
fa·theredfa·ther·ing
Definition of FATHER for Kids
1
: to become the father of
2
: to care for as a father
3
: to be the founder, producer, or author of <He fathered a new style of music.>
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