father

[fah-th er]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR father ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a male parent.

a father-in-law, stepfather, or adoptive father.

any male ancestor, especially the founder of a family or line; progenitor.

a man who exercises paternal care over other persons; paternal protector or provider: a father to the poor.

a person who has originated or established something: the father of modern psychology; the founding fathers.

a precursor, prototype, or early form: The horseless carriage was the father of the modern automobile.

one of the leading men in a city, town, etc.: a scandal involving several of the city fathers.

Chiefly British. the oldest member of a society, profession, etc.Compare dean¹(def 3).

a priest.

(initial capital letter) Theology. the Supreme Being and Creator; God.

a title of respect for an elderly man.

the Father, Theology. the first person of the Trinity.

Also called church father. Church History. any of the chief early Christian writers, whose works are the main sources for the history, doctrines, and observances of the church in the early ages.

Ecclesiastical.

(often initial capital letter)a title of reverence, as for church dignitaries, officers of monasteries, monks, confessors, and especially priests.
a person bearing this title.

fathers, Roman History. conscript fathers.

verb (used with object)

to beget.

to be the creator, founder, or author of; originate.

to act as a father toward.

to acknowledge oneself the father of.

to assume as one's own; take the responsibility of.

to charge with the begetting of.

verb (used without object)

to perform the tasks or duties of a male parent; act paternally: Somehow he was able to write a book while actively fathering.

Origin of father

before 900; Middle English fader, Old English fæder; cognate with German Vater, Latin pater, Greek patḗr, Sanskrit pitar, Old Irish athir, Armenian hayr

Related formsfa·ther·like, adjective

Can be confusedfarther father further (see usage note at farther)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for father

dad, predecessor, ancestor, parent, minister, conceive, origin, sire, papa, pop, source, progenitor, padre, begetter, pa, daddy, confessor, pastor, preacher, parson

Examples from the Web for father

Contemporary Examples of father

What matters is being honest, humble, and a faithful and loyal friend, father and member of your community.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv
Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich
January 7, 2015
Father Joel Román Salazar died in a car crash in 2013; his death was ruled an accident, but the suspicion of foul play persists.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder
Jason McGahan
January 7, 2015
Charles “Father” Coughlin, a raving anti-Semite, was one of the most popular radio hosts in the country.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?
Emily Shire
January 7, 2015
When the father arrived at the hospital, he was told that Andrew Dossi was in surgery, but the wounds were not life-threatening.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown
Michael Daly
January 7, 2015
“I heard them say, ‘He was shot twice,’” the father, Joseph Dossi, remembers.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown
Michael Daly
January 7, 2015

Historical Examples of father

Do you mean that my father was mixed up like those old Indians?
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
When he came, Paralus looked upon him with a smile of recognition, and said, "My father!"
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
The Milbreys, father and son, came up and greeted the group on the piazza.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
"In truth, my father, I wished to avoid the pain of parting," rejoined Philæmon.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
For some time after the interview with his father, Paralus remained very wakeful.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child

British Dictionary definitions for father

father

noun

a male parent

a person who founds a line or family; forefather

any male acting in a paternal capacityRelated adjective: paternal

(often capital) a respectful term of address for an old man

a male who originates somethingthe father of modern psychology

a leader of an association, council, etc; eldera city father

British the eldest or most senior member in a society, profession, etcfather of the bar

(often plural) a senator or patrician in ancient Rome

the father of informal a very large, severe, etc, example of a specified kindthe father of a whipping

verb (tr)

to procreate or generate (offspring); beget

to create, found, originate, etc

to act as a father to

to acknowledge oneself as father or originator of

(foll by on or upon) to impose or place without a just reason

Derived Formsfathering, noun

Word Origin for father

Old English fæder; related to Old Norse fathir, Old Frisian feder, Old High German fater, Latin pater, Greek patēr, Sanskrit pitr

Father

noun

God, esp when considered as the first person of the Christian Trinity

Also called: Church Father any of the writers on Christian doctrine of the pre-Scholastic period

a title used for Christian priests

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for father

Old English fæder "father, male ancestor," from Proto-Germanic *fader (cf. Old Saxon fadar, Old Frisian feder, Dutch vader, Old Norse faðir, Old High German fater, German vater), from PIE *pəter (cf. Sanskrit pitar-, Greek pater, Latin pater, Old Persian pita, Old Irish athir "father"), presumably from baby-speak sound like pa.

The classic example of Grimm's Law, where PIE "p-" becomes Germanic "f-." Spelling with -th- (15c.) reflects widespread phonetic shift in Middle English that turned -der to -ther in many words; spelling caught up to pronunciation in 1500s (cf. burden, murder).

c.1400, from father (n.). Related: Fathered; fathering.

Idioms and Phrases with father

father

see like father, like son.