Nearby Words
noun
1.
a male parent.
2.
a father-in-law, stepfather, or adoptive father.
4.
a man who exercises paternal care over other persons; paternal protector or provider: a father to the poor.
5.
EXPANDa person who has originated or established something: the father of modern psychology; the founding fathers.
6.
a precursor, prototype, or early form: The horseless carriage was the father of the modern automobile.
7.
one of the leading men in a city, town, etc.: a scandal involving several of the city fathers.
8.
Chiefly British. the oldest member of a society, profession, etc. Compare dean1 (def. 3).
9.
a priest.
10.
(initial capital letter) Theology. the Supreme Being and Creator; God.
11.
a title of respect for an elderly man.
12.
the Father, Theology. the first person of the Trinity.
13.
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.
14.
Ecclesiastical.
a.
(often initial capital letter) a title of reverence, as for church dignitaries, officers of monasteries, monks, confessors, and especially priests.
b.
a person bearing this title.
15.
COLLAPSEverb (used with object)
16.
to beget.
17.
to be the creator, founder, or author of; originate.
18.
to act as a father toward.
19.
to acknowledge oneself the father of.
20.
EXPANDto assume as one's own; take the responsibility of.
21.
COLLAPSEto charge with the begetting of.
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Fathered
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
verb (used without object)
22.
to perform the tasks or duties of a male parent; act paternally: Somehow he was able to write a book while fathering.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To fathered
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
father
O.E. fæder, from P.Gmc. *fader (cf. O.N. faðir, Ger. vater), from PIE *p@ter (cf. Skt. pitar-, Gk. pater, L. pater, O.Pers. pita, O.Ir. athir "father"), presumably from baby-speak sound like pa. The classic example of Grimm's Law, where PIE "p-" becomes Gmc. "f-." Spelling with -th- (16c.)
EXPANDreflects widespread phonetic shift in M.E. that turned -der to -ther in many words; spelling caught up to pronunciation in 1500s (cf. burden, murder). Fatherland (1623) is usually a loan-transl. of Ger. Vaterland, itself a loan-transl. of L. patria (terra), lit. "father's land." Father's Day dates back to 1910 in Spokane, Wash., but was not widespread until 1943, in imitation of Mother's Day.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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