orphan

[awr-fuhn]

noun

1. a child who has lost both parents through death, or, less commonly, one parent.

2. a young animal that has been deserted by or has lost its mother.

3. a person or thing that is without protective affiliation, sponsorship, etc..

   The committee is an orphan of the previous administration.

4. Printing.

   1. (especially in word processing) the first line of a paragraph when it appears alone at the bottom of a page.

   2. widow.

adjective

1. bereft of parents.

2. of or for orphans.

   an orphan home.

3. not authorized, supported, or funded; not part of a system; isolated; abandoned.

   an orphan research project.

4. lacking a commercial sponsor, an employer, etc..

   orphan workers.

verb (used with object)

1. to deprive of parents or a parent through death.

   He was orphaned at the age of four.

2. Informal.,  to deprive of commercial sponsorship, an employer, etc..

   The recession has orphaned many experienced workers.

orphan

/ ˈɔːfən /

noun

1. 1. a child, one or (more commonly) both of whose parents are dead

   2. ( as modifier )

      an orphan child

2. printing the first line of a paragraph separated from the rest of the paragraph by occurring at the foot of a page

verb

1. (tr) to deprive of one or both parents

Other Word Forms

• orphanhood noun
• half-orphan noun
• unorphaned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of orphan¹

1425–75; late Middle English (noun) < Late Latin orphanus destitute, without parents < Greek orphanós bereaved; akin to Latin orbus bereaved

Word History and Origins

Origin of orphan¹

C15: from Late Latin orphanus, from Greek orphanos; compare Latin orbus bereaved

Example Sentences

He told Johnson about watching his baby sister starve to death and being orphaned by the Khmer Rouge.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

The Inflation Reduction Act exempted orphan drugs from Medicare price negotiation, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act expanded that exemption under certain conditions.

Read more on Barron's

The Chadian government's decision is a new blow to Harry's charitable endeavours after he stepped down earlier this year from Sentebale, an organisation he founded to help children orphaned by Aids in Botswana and Lesotho.

Read more on BBC

Two mountain lions that were orphaned as cubs have been released back into the San Diego County wilderness.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In recent years it has even recruited thousands of orphans and street children, the report claims.

Read more on BBC