18. (v.i.)father to perform the tasks or duties of a male parent; act paternally.
Etymology: (bef. 900; ME fader, OE fæder; c. OS fadar, OHG fater, ON fathir, L pater, GK patēr, Skt pitar)
Definition of 'father'
Princeton's WordNet
1. (noun)father, male parent, begetter a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father) "his father was born in Atlanta"
2. (noun)forefather, father, sire the founder of a family "keep the faith of our forefathers"
3. (noun)Father, Padre `Father' is a term of address for priests in some churches (especially the RomanCatholicChurch or the Orthodox Catholic Church); `Padre' is frequently used in the military
4. (noun)Church Father, Father of the Church, Father (Christianity) any of about 70 theologians in the period from the 2nd to the 7th century whose writing established and confirmed officialchurch doctrine; in the RomanCatholicChurch some were later declared saints and became Doctor of the Church; the best known LatinChurch Fathers are Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory the Great, and Jerome; those who wrote in Greek include Athanasius, Basil, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom
5. (noun)father 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"
6. (noun)Father, Father-God, Fatherhood God when considered as the firstperson in the Trinity "hear our prayers, Heavenly Father"
7. (noun)founder, beginner, founding father, father a person who founds or establishes some institution "George Washington is the father of his country"
9. (verb)beget, get, engender, father, mother, sire, generate, bring forth make children "Abraham begot Isaac"; "Men often father children but don't recognize them"
1. (noun)father one who has begotten a child, whether son or daughter; a generator; a maleparent
2. (noun)father a maleancestormoreremote than a parent; a progenitor; especially, a first ancestor; a founder of a race or family; -- in the plural, fathers, ancestors
3. (noun)father one who performs the offices of a parent by maintenance, affetionate care, counsel, or protection
4. (noun)father a respectful mode of address to an old man
6. (noun)father a dignitary of the church, a superior of a convent, a confessor (called also father confessor), or a priest; also, the eldestmember of a profession, or of a legislative assembly, etc
7. (noun)father one of the chief esslesiastical authorities of the first centuries after Christ; -- often spoken of collectively as the Fathers; as, the Latin, Greek, or apostolic Fathers
8. (noun)father 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
9. (noun)father the Supreme Being and Creator; God; in theology, the firstperson in the Trinity
10. (verb)father to make one's self the father of; to beget
11. (verb)father to take as one's own child; to adopt; hence, to assume as one's own work; to acknowledge one's selfauthor of or responsible for (a statement, policy, etc.)