father
father definition
fa·ther (fä′t̸hər)
noun
- a man who has begotten a child; esp., a man as he is related to his child or children
- a stepfather
- an adoptive father
- a father-in-law
- the male parent of a plant or animal
- a person regarded as a male parent; protector
- God, or God as the first person in the Trinity
- a forefather; ancestor: usually used in pl.
- an originator, founder, or inventor
- any man deserving of respect or reverence because of age, position, etc.
- a senator of ancient Rome
- any of the leaders of a city, assembly, etc.: usually used in pl.
- any of the early Christian religious writers considered reliable authorities on the doctrines and teachings of the Church
- a Christian priest: used esp. as a title
Etymology: ME fader < OE fæder, akin to ON fathir, OHG fater, Goth fadar < IE *pətḗr > L pater, Gr patēr, Sans pitár: ult. origin prob. echoic of baby talk, as in papa, Hindi bābū
transitive verb
- to be the father of; beget
- to look after or care for as a father does
- to bring into being; found, originate, or invent
- to take the responsibility for
- to impose improperly as a responsibility; foist the mistake was fathered on him
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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