father(fa·ther)

Pronunciation:/ˈfäT͟Hər, /

noun

1 a man in relation to his natural child or children.
a male animal in relation to its offspring.
(usually fathers) literary an ancestor.
(also founding father) an important figure in the origin and early history of something:Dorsey should be remembered as the father of gospel music
a man who gives care and protection to someone or something:the prince is widely regarded as the father of the nation
the oldest or most respected member of a society or other body.
(the Father)(in Christian belief) the first person of the Trinity; God.
(Father)literary used in proper names, especially when personifying time or a river, to suggest an old and venerable character:Father Thames
2 (also Father)(often as a title or form of address) a priest:pray for me, Father
3 (the Fathers or the Church Fathers)early Christian theologians (in particular of the first five centuries) whose writings are regarded as especially authoritative.

verb

[with object]

be the father of:he fathered three children
(usually as nounfathering) treat with the protective care usually associated with a father:the two males share the fathering of the cubs
be the source or originator of:a culture which has fathered half the popular music in the world
(father someone on) make a woman pregnant:he fathered a child on a one-night stand
assign the paternity of a child or responsibility for a book, idea, or action to:a collection of Irish stories was fathered on him
archaic appear as or admit that one is the father or originator of:a singular letter from a lady, requesting I would father a novel of hers

Derivatives

fatherhood

Pronunciation:/-ˌho͝od/

noun

fatherless

adjective

fatherlessness

noun

fatherlike

Pronunciation:/-ˌlīk/

adjective & adverb

Phrases

like father, like son

proverb a son’s character or behavior can be expected to resemble that of his father.

Derivatives

fatherhood

Pronunciation:/-ˌho͝od/

noun

fatherless

adjective

fatherlessness

noun

fatherlike

Pronunciation:/-ˌlīk/

adjective & adverb

Origin:

Old English fǣder; from an Indo-European root shared by Latin pater and Greek patēr