Dictionary.com

pater

[ pey-ter; also, for 2, 3 pat-er ]
/ ˈpeɪ tər; also, for 2, 3 ˈpæt ər /

noun

British Informal. father.
(often initial capital letter) the paternoster; Lord's Prayer.
a recitation of it.

QUIZZES

FOR LEXICAL ALIMENTATION, TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Nourish your vocabulary with a refresher on the words from the week of September 14–20, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “blatherskite” mean?
a person given to voluble, empty talk.
an ancient Greek or Roman farce that depended for effect largely upon ludicrous actions and gestures.
a check whose amount has been raised by forgery before cashing.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of pater

1300–50; Middle English <Latin: father

Words nearby pater

patent office, patentor, patent right, Patent Rolls, patent still, pater, paterfamilias, paternal, paternalism, paternity, paternity leave

Definition for pater (2 of 2)

Pater
[ pey-ter ]
/ ˈpeɪ tər /

noun

Walter Horatio, 1839–94, English critic, essayist, and novelist.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to pater

fitting, rehearsed, plumb, fondle, hit, form, dab, pet, tip, rub, punch, slap, whittle, beat, stroke, caress, mold, massage, cake, portion

Example sentences from the Web for pater

British Dictionary definitions for pater (1 of 2)

pater
/ (ˈpeɪtə) /

noun

British mainly facetious a public school slang word for father

Word Origin for pater

from Latin

British Dictionary definitions for pater (2 of 2)

Pater
/ (ˈpeɪtə) /

noun

Walter (Horatio). 1839–94, English essayist and critic, noted for his prose style and his advocation of the "love of art for its own sake". His works include the philosophical romance Marius the Epicurean (1885), Studies in the History of the Renaissance (1873), and Imaginary Portraits (1887)
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