orphan
[ awr-fuh n ]
/ ˈɔr fən /
noun
adjective
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.
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Origin of orphan
1425–75; late Middle English (noun) < Late Latin orphanus destitute, without parents < Greek orphanós bereaved; akin to Latin orbus bereaved
OTHER WORDS FROM orphan
or·phan·hood, nounhalf-or·phan, nounun·or·phaned, adjectiveWords nearby orphan
orotracheal tube, orotund, oroya fever, orozco, orpen, orphan, orphan drug, orphan virus, orphanage, orphans' court, orpharion
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for orphan
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
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