noun1 a man in relation to his natural child or children.• a man who has continuous care of a child, esp. by adoption; an adoptive father, stepfather, or foster father.• a father-in-law.
• a male animal in relation to its offspring.• (usu. fathers) poetic/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) poetic/literary used in proper names, esp. 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 [ trans. ]be the father of : he fathered three children.• [usu. as n. ] ( fathering) 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.PHRASESlike father, like son proverb a son's character or behavior can be expected to resemble that of his father.DERIVATIVESfatherhood |-ˌhoŏd| nounfatherless adjectivefatherlessness nounfatherlike |-ˌlīk| adjective & adverbORIGIN Old English fæder; from an Indo-European root shared byLatin pater and Greek patēr.
• a male animal in relation to its offspring.• (usu. fathers) poetic/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) poetic/literary used in proper names, esp. 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 [ trans. ]be the father of : he fathered three children.• [usu. as n. ] ( fathering) 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.PHRASESlike father, like son proverb a son's character or behavior can be expected to resemble that of his father.DERIVATIVESfatherhood |-ˌhoŏd| nounfatherless adjectivefatherlessness nounfatherlike |-ˌlīk| adjective & adverbORIGIN Old English fæder; from an Indo-European root shared byLatin pater and Greek patēr.