orphan
[ awr-fuh n ]
/ ˈɔr fən /
noun
adjective
verb (used with object)
to deprive of parents or a parent through death: He was orphaned at the age of four.
Informal.
to deprive of commercial sponsorship, an employer, etc.: The recession has orphaned many experienced workers.
Origin of orphan
1425–75; late Middle English (noun) < Late Latin
orphanus destitute, without parents < Greek
orphanós bereaved; akin to Latin
orbus bereaved
OTHER WORDS FROM orphan
or·phan·hood, noun half-or·phan, noun un·or·phaned, adjectiveWords nearby orphan
orotracheal tube,
orotund,
oroya fever,
orozco,
orpen,
orphan,
orphan drug,
orphan virus,
orphanage,
orphans' court,
orpharion
Example sentences from the Web for orphan
British Dictionary definitions for orphan
orphan
/ (ˈɔːfən) /
noun
- a child, one or (more commonly) both of whose parents are dead
- (as modifier)an orphan child
printing
the first line of a paragraph separated from the rest of the paragraph by occurring at the foot of a page
verb
(tr)
to deprive of one or both parents
Word Origin for orphan
C15: from Late Latin
orphanus, from Greek
orphanos; compare Latin
orbus bereaved