'Father' definitions:

Definition of 'father'

From: WordNet
noun
A male parent (also used as a term of address to your father); "his father was born in Atlanta" [syn: father, male parent, begetter] [ant: female parent, mother]
noun
The founder of a family; "keep the faith of our forefathers" [syn: forefather, father, sire]
noun
`Father' is a term of address for priests in some churches (especially the Roman Catholic Church or the Orthodox Catholic Church); `Padre' is frequently used in the military [syn: Father, Padre]
noun
(Christianity) any of about 70 theologians in the period from the 2nd to the 7th century whose writing established and confirmed official church doctrine; in the Roman Catholic Church some were later declared saints and became Doctor of the Church; the best known Latin Church Fathers are Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory the Great, and Jerome; those who wrote in Greek include Athanasius, Basil, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom [syn: Church Father, Father of the Church, Father]
noun
A person who holds an important or distinguished position in some organization; "the tennis fathers ruled in her favor"; "the city fathers endorsed the proposal"
noun
God when considered as the first person in the Trinity; "hear our prayers, Heavenly Father" [syn: Father, Father-God, Fatherhood]
noun
A person who founds or establishes some institution; "George Washington is the father of his country" [syn: founder, beginner, founding father, father]
noun
The head of an organized crime family [syn: don, father]
verb
Make children; "Abraham begot Isaac"; "Men often father children but don't recognize them" [syn: beget, get, engender, father, mother, sire, generate, bring forth]

Definition of 'Father'

From: GCIDE
  • Father \Fa"ther\ (f[aum]"[th][~e]r), n. [OE. fader, AS. f[ae]der; akin to OS. fadar, D. vader, OHG. fatar, G. vater, Icel. fa[eth]ir Sw. & Dan. fader, OIr. athir, L. pater, Gr. path`r, Skr. pitr, perh. fr. Skr. p[=a] protect. [root]75,
  • 247. Cf. Papa, Paternal, Patriot, Potential, Pablum.]
  • 1. One who has begotten a child, whether son or daughter; a generator; a male parent. [1913 Webster]
  • A wise son maketh a glad father. --Prov. x. 1. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. A male ancestor more remote than a parent; a progenitor; especially, a first ancestor; a founder of a race or family; -- in the plural, fathers, ancestors. [1913 Webster]
  • David slept with his fathers. --1 Kings ii. 10. [1913 Webster]
  • Abraham, who is the father of us all. --Rom. iv. 16. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. One who performs the offices of a parent by maintenance, affetionate care, counsel, or protection. [1913 Webster]
  • I was a father to the poor. --Job xxix. 16. [1913 Webster]
  • He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house. --Gen. xiv. 8. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. A respectful mode of address to an old man. [1913 Webster]
  • And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him [Elisha], . . . and said, O my father, my father! --2 Kings xiii. 14. [1913 Webster]
  • 5. A senator of ancient Rome. [1913 Webster]
  • 6. A dignitary of the church, a superior of a convent, a confessor (called also father confessor), or a priest; also, the eldest member of a profession, or of a legislative assembly, etc. [1913 Webster]
  • Bless you, good father friar ! --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • 7. One of the chief ecclesiastical authorities of the first centuries after Christ; -- often spoken of collectively as the Fathers; as, the Latin, Greek, or apostolic Fathers. [1913 Webster]
  • 8. One who, or that which, gives origin; an originator; a producer, author, or contriver; the first to practice any art, profession, or occupation; a distinguished example or teacher. [1913 Webster]
  • The father of all such as handle the harp and organ. --Gen. iv. 21. [1913 Webster]
  • Might be the father, Harry, to that thought. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • The father of good news. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • 9. The Supreme Being and Creator; God; in theology, the first person in the Trinity. [1913 Webster]
  • Our Father, which art in heaven. --Matt. vi. 9. [1913 Webster]
  • Now had the almighty Father from above . . . Bent down his eye. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
  • Adoptive father, one who adopts the child of another, treating it as his own.
  • Apostolic father, Conscript fathers, etc. See under Apostolic, Conscript, etc.
  • Father in God, a title given to bishops.
  • Father of lies, the Devil.
  • Father of the bar, the oldest practitioner at the bar.
  • Fathers of the city, the aldermen.
  • Father of the Faithful. (a) Abraham. --Rom. iv. --Gal. iii. 6-9. (b) Mohammed, or one of the sultans, his successors.
  • Father of the house, the member of a legislative body who has had the longest continuous service.
  • Most Reverend Father in God, a title given to archbishops and metropolitans, as to the archbishops of Canterbury and York.
  • Natural father, the father of an illegitimate child.
  • Putative father, one who is presumed to be the father of an illegitimate child; the supposed father.
  • Spiritual father. (a) A religious teacher or guide, esp. one instrumental in leading a soul to God. (b) (R. C. Ch.) A priest who hears confession in the sacrament of penance.
  • The Holy Father (R. C. Ch.), the pope. [1913 Webster]

Definition of 'Father'

From: GCIDE
  • Father \Fa"ther\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fathered; p. pr. & vb. n. Fathering.]
  • 1. To make one's self the father of; to beget. [1913 Webster]
  • Cowards father cowards, and base things sire base. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. To take as one's own child; to adopt; hence, to assume as one's own work; to acknowledge one's self author of or responsible for (a statement, policy, etc.). [1913 Webster]
  • Men of wit Often fathered what he writ. --Swift. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. To provide with a father. [R.] [1913 Webster]
  • Think you I am no stronger than my sex, Being so fathered and so husbanded ? --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • To father on or To father upon, to ascribe to, or charge upon, as one's offspring or work; to put or lay upon as being responsible. "Nothing can be so uncouth or extravagant, which may not be fathered on some fetch of wit, or some caprice of humor." --Barrow. [1913 Webster]

Definition of 'Father'

From: Easton
  • Father a name applied (1) to any ancestor (Deut. 1:11; 1 Kings 15:11; Matt. 3:9; 23:30, etc.); and (2) as a title of respect to a chief, ruler, or elder, etc. (Judg. 17:10; 18:19; 1 Sam. 10:12; 2 Kings 2:12; Matt. 23:9, etc.). (3) The author or beginner of anything is also so called; e.g., Jabal and Jubal (Gen. 4:20, 21; comp. Job 38:28).
  • Applied to God (Ex. 4:22; Deut. 32:6; 2 Sam. 7:14; Ps. 89:27, 28, etc.).
  • As denoting his covenant relation to the Jews (Jer. 31:9; Isa. 63:16; 64:8; John 8:41, etc.).
  • Believers are called God's "sons" (John 1:12; Rom. 8:16; Matt. 6:4, 8, 15, 18; 10:20, 29). They also call him "Father" (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:4)

Synonyms of 'Father'

From: Moby Thesaurus

Words containing 'Father'