orphan

[awr-fuhn]

noun

1. a child who has lost both parents through death, or, less commonly, one parent.

2. a young animal that has been deserted by or has lost its mother.

3. a person or thing that is without protective affiliation, sponsorship, etc..

   The committee is an orphan of the previous administration.

4. Printing.

   1. (especially in word processing) the first line of a paragraph when it appears alone at the bottom of a page.

   2. widow.

adjective

1. bereft of parents.

2. of or for orphans.

   an orphan home.

3. not authorized, supported, or funded; not part of a system; isolated; abandoned.

   an orphan research project.

4. lacking a commercial sponsor, an employer, etc..

   orphan workers.

verb (used with object)

1. to deprive of parents or a parent through death.

   He was orphaned at the age of four.

2. Informal.,  to deprive of commercial sponsorship, an employer, etc..

   The recession has orphaned many experienced workers.

orphan

/ ˈɔːfən /

noun

1. 1. a child, one or (more commonly) both of whose parents are dead

   2. ( as modifier )

      an orphan child

2. printing the first line of a paragraph separated from the rest of the paragraph by occurring at the foot of a page

verb

1. (tr) to deprive of one or both parents

Other Word Forms

• orphanhood noun
• half-orphan noun
• unorphaned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of orphan¹

1425–75; late Middle English (noun) < Late Latin orphanus destitute, without parents < Greek orphanós bereaved; akin to Latin orbus bereaved

Word History and Origins

Origin of orphan¹

C15: from Late Latin orphanus, from Greek orphanos; compare Latin orbus bereaved

Example Sentences

The sisters' father, Mohammed Maroof, was born in Kerala but was adopted by his grandmother after he was orphaned at the age of nine.

From BBC

Ol Jogi says it is home to about 500 elephants and regards itself one of the pioneers in rehabilitating animal orphans and releasing them back to the wild.

From BBC

“His presence in Polar Bear Plunge helped foster bonds with his sister and Chinook, another orphaned female polar bear,” zoo officials said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

But while they appeared as grieving orphans, Erik and Lyle also began spending large sums of money in the months after the killings.

From Los Angeles Times

Staff recognised his mugshot and distinctive tattoos from an Interpol wanted notice, but Rossi claimed his name was actually Arthur Knight and that he was an Irish-born orphan who had never been to America.

From BBC