Father

Pronunciation

• RP enPR: fä'thÉ™(r), IPA: /ˈfɑː.ðə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -ɑːðə(r)
• AusE enPR: fä'thÉ™, IPA: /ˈfaː.ðə/
• GenAm enPR: fä'thÉ™r, IPA: /ˈfɑðɚ/
• Homophones: farther in non-rhotic accents
• Hyphenation: fa + ther

Origin

From Middle English fader, from Old English fæder, from Proto-Germanic *fadēr (compare West Frisian faar, North Frisian faaðer, Low German Fader, Dutch vader, German Vater, Danish fader), from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr (compare Irish athair, Tocharian A pācar, B pācer, Persian پدر, Lithuanian patinas 'male animal'), akin to Latin pater, akin to Ancient Greek πατήρ, akin to Armenian հայր, akin to Sankskrit पितृ (pitṛ, "father").

Full definition of father

Noun

1. A (generally human) male who begets a child.
   My father was a strong influence on me.
   My friend Tony just became a father.
• Bible, Proverbs x. 1A wise son maketh a glad father.
• 1898, Winston Churchill, The Celebrity Chapter 5, When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper.
2. A male ancestor more remote than a parent; a progenitor; especially, a first ancestor.
• Bible, 1 Kings ii. 10David slept with his fathers.
• Bible, Rom. iv. 16Abraham, who is the father of us all
3. A term of respectful address for an elderly man.
   Come, father; you can sit here.
4. A term of respectful address for a priest.
• ShakespeareBless you, good father friar!
5. A person who plays the role of a father in some way.
   My brother was a father to me after my parents got divorced.
   The child is father to the man.
• Bible, Job xxix. 16I was a father to the poor.
• Bible, Genesis xiv. 8He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house.
6. The founder of a discipline or science.
   Albert Einstein is the father of modern physics.
7. A senator of Ancient Rome.

Synonyms

• (parent) See also

Antonyms

• with regards to gender mother
• with regards to ancestry son, daughter, child

Hypernyms

• (a male parent) parent

Derived terms

Related terms

• Father

Verb

1. To be a father to; to sire.
• 1592, William Shakespeare, v 4Well, go to; we'll have no bastards live; Especially since Charles must father it.
2. (figuratively) To give rise to.
• 1610 — William Shakespeare, ii 2Cowards father cowards and base things sire base.
3. To act as a father; to support and nurture.
• 1610 — William Shakespeare, iv 2Ay, good youth! And rather father thee than master thee.
4. To provide with a father.
• ShakespeareThink you I am no stronger than my sex,
  Being so fathered and so husbanded?
5. To adopt as one's own.
• Jonathan SwiftMen of wit
  Often fathered what he writ.

Anagrams

• afther
• fareth