orphan

Meaning

Noun

1. A person, especially a minor, both or (rarely) one of whose parents have died.
2. A person, especially a minor, whose parents have permanently abandoned them.
3. A young animal with no mother.
4. (figuratively) Anything that is unsupported, as by its source, provider or caretaker, by reason of the supporter's demise or decision to abandon.
5. A single line of type, beginning a paragraph, at the bottom of a column or page.
6. Any unreferenced object.

Adj

1. (not-comparable) Deprived of parents (also orphaned).
2. (broadly, figuratively, not-comparable) Remaining after the removal of some form of support.

Verb

1. (transitive) To deprive of parents (used almost exclusively in the passive).
2. (transitive) To make unavailable, as by removing the last remaining pointer or reference to.

Opposite of

widow

Synonyms

poor

parentless

motherless

fatherless

widower

orphanhood

poor person

single

survivor

widow

homeless

lonely

lorn

orphanage

orphaned

pitiful

waif

ward

poor fellow

fatherless girl

fatherless boy

beloved child

parentless child

street child

abandoned

orphan child

abandoned person

adopted child

alone

bachelor

child

🧒

deserted

forlorn

foster child

helpless

Translations

orphelin

huérfano

orfano

Waise

wees

órfão

Waisenkind

orfe

ορφανός

orpheline

huérfana

weesjongen

orbus

ouderloos

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɔːfən/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: -

Cognate with Sanskrit: अर्भ

Cognate with Latin: orbus

Cognate with Old High German: erbi

Cognate with German: Erbe

Cognate with Old English: ierfa

In summary

Late Middle English, from Late Latin orphanus, from Ancient Greek ὀρφανός (orphanós, “without parents, fatherless”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃órbʰos.
PIE word
*h₃órbʰos
Cognate with Sanskrit अर्भ (árbha), Latin orbus (“orphaned”), Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe (“heir”)), Old English ierfa (“heir”). More at erf.