orphan

[ awr-fuh n ]

/ ˈɔr fən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR orphan ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

a person or thing that is without protective affiliation, sponsorship, etc.: The committee is an orphan of the previous administration.

Printing.

(especially in word processing) the first line of a paragraph when it appears alone at the bottom of a page.
widow(def 3b).

adjective

bereft of parents.

of or for orphans: an orphan home.

not authorized, supported, or funded; not part of a system; isolated; abandoned: an orphan research project.

lacking a commercial sponsor, an employer, etc.: orphan workers.

verb (used with object)

to deprive of parents or a parent through death: He was orphaned at the age of four.

Informal. to deprive of commercial sponsorship, an employer, etc.: The recession has orphaned many experienced workers.

Nearby words

orotund, oroya fever, orozco, orozco, josé clemente, orpen, orphan, orphan drug, orphan virus, orphanage, orphans' court, orpharion

Origin of orphan

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

Related forms

or·phan·hood, nounhalf-or·phan, nounun·or·phaned, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for orphan

Scribbling notes in the classroom next door is Justine, a shy 17-year-old orphan who is the only female in her class.
Victims No More: Congo’s Badass Women Mechanics|Nina Strochlic|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sophie Hannah, the author of the new novel The Orphan Choir, has always preferred the sketchy storyteller.
The Most Unreliable Narrators, From Agatha Christie to Iris Murdoch|Sophie Hannah|April 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An orphan, Sofiya had dropped out of high school to support herself.
How An Israeli Stranger Helped An Ethiopian Girl Escape Prostitution|Itay Hod|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As long as the subject is single, an orphan, an only child, sterile and impotent.
Brazil’s Rich Ban Biographies Via Arcane Law|Mac Margolis|November 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST

He was an orphan, and he was in front of the hospital one time and just came in and started to work and stayed.
The Agony of Syria’s Children|Jamie Dettmer|April 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Andrew was now an orphan, and poor; but he had what makes any boy or man rich, the memory of a devoted, heroic mother.
Famous American Statesmen|Sarah Knowles Bolton
I brought him cups and spoons and blankets and moccasins enough for an orphan asylum.
O Pioneers!|Willa Cather
"I was left an orphan when a mere child," said I, as though the observation had been specially addressed to me.
Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II (of II)|Charles James Lever
Let these kisses be the seals to our bond; and let us put our trust in Him who only is a father to the widow and the orphan.
The Children of the New Forest|Captain Marryat
I don't suppose you ever were an orphan in an asylum, so you can't possibly understand what it is like.
Anne Of Green Gables|Lucy Maud Montgomery

British Dictionary definitions for orphan

orphan

/ (ˈɔːfən) /

noun

a child, one or (more commonly) both of whose parents are dead
(as modifier)an orphan child

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

verb

(tr) to deprive of one or both parents

Word Origin for orphan

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

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