orphanage

[awr-fuh-nij]

noun

1. an institution for the housing and care of orphans.

2. the state of being an orphan; orphanhood.

3. Archaic.,  orphans collectively.

orphanage

/ ˈɔːfənɪdʒ /

noun

1. an institution for orphans and abandoned children

2. the state of being an orphan

Word History and Origins

Origin of orphanage¹

First recorded in 1530–40; orphan + -age

Example Sentences

Falling debris from the destroyed Atacms on Tuesday damaged the roofs of a clinic and an orphanage and struck a private house in Voronezh, Russia said.

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“I know you are in here, Miss Lumley. And I know you have my book. Give it to me now, or suffer the consequences. Prison...orphanages...workhouses...the choice is yours.”

Read more on Literature

“If I am ever to lose my position, he could send them off to boarding school, or to an orphanage, or anywhere he pleased, really,” she fretted as the children eagerly presented themselves for inspection.

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“And remember, my dear friend Baroness Hoover knows of some very fine orphanages for the poor. Take care, Miss Lumley—take care you do not lose your pupils to one of them!”

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He was mostly raised in an orphanage in Hermosillo.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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