Definitions for orphan
ˈɔr fənor·phan

Princeton's WordNet(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. orphannoun

   a child who has lost both parents

2. orphannoun

   someone or something who lacks support or care or supervision

3. orphannoun

   the first line of a paragraph that is set as the last line of a page or column

4. orphanverb

   a young animal without a mother

5. orphanverb

   deprive of parents

Wiktionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. orphannoun

   A person, especially a minor, both or (rarely) one of whose parents have died.

   Etymology: From orphanus, from ὀρφανός, from Hórbʰo-. Cognate with Sanskrit अर्भ, Latin orbus, Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe), ierfa. More at erf.

2. orphannoun

   A young animal with no mother.

   Etymology: From orphanus, from ὀρφανός, from Hórbʰo-. Cognate with Sanskrit अर्भ, Latin orbus, Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe), ierfa. More at erf.

3. orphannoun

   Anything that is unsupported, as by its source, provider or caretaker, by reason of the supporter's demise or decision to abandon.

   Etymology: From orphanus, from ὀρφανός, from Hórbʰo-. Cognate with Sanskrit अर्भ, Latin orbus, Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe), ierfa. More at erf.

4. orphannoun

   A single line of type, beginning a paragraph, at the bottom of a column or page.

   Etymology: From orphanus, from ὀρφανός, from Hórbʰo-. Cognate with Sanskrit अर्भ, Latin orbus, Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe), ierfa. More at erf.

5. orphannoun

   Any unreferenced abstract object.

   Etymology: From orphanus, from ὀρφανός, from Hórbʰo-. Cognate with Sanskrit अर्भ, Latin orbus, Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe), ierfa. More at erf.

6. orphanverb

   To deprive of parents (used almost exclusively in the passive)

   What do you do when you come across two orphaned polar bear cubs?

   Etymology: From orphanus, from ὀρφανός, from Hórbʰo-. Cognate with Sanskrit अर्भ, Latin orbus, Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe), ierfa. More at erf.

7. orphanverb

   To make unavailable, as by unlinking the last remaining pointer to.

   Etymology: From orphanus, from ὀρφανός, from Hórbʰo-. Cognate with Sanskrit अर्भ, Latin orbus, Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe), ierfa. More at erf.

8. orphanadjective

   Deprived of parents (also orphaned).

   She is an orphan child.

   Etymology: From orphanus, from ὀρφανός, from Hórbʰo-. Cognate with Sanskrit अर्भ, Latin orbus, Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe), ierfa. More at erf.

9. orphanadjective

   Remaining after the removal of some form of support.

   With its government funding curtailed, the gun registry became an orphan program.

   Etymology: From orphanus, from ὀρφανός, from Hórbʰo-. Cognate with Sanskrit अर्भ, Latin orbus, Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe), ierfa. More at erf.

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Orphan

   An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usually relevant. If she has gone, the offspring is an orphan, regardless of the father's condition. Adults can also be referred to as orphans, or adult orphans. However, survivors who reached adulthood before their parents died are normally not called orphans. It is a term generally reserved for children whose parents have died while they are too young to support themselves.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Orphan

   or′fan, n. a child bereft of father or mother, or of both.—adj. bereft of parents.—v.t. to bereave of parents.—ns. Or′phanage, the state of being an orphan: a house for orphans; Or′phan-asy′lum; Or′phanhood, Or′phanism; Orphanot′rophy, the supporting of orphans. [Gr. orphanos, akin to L. orbus, bereaved.]

The New Hacker's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. orphan

   [Unix] A process whose parent has died; one inherited by init(1). Compare zombie.

Matched Categories

1. • Child
   • Deprive
   • Line
   • Person

How to pronounce orphan?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say orphan in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of orphan in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of orphan in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of orphan in a Sentence

1. Colin Bole:

   It can no longer be dismissed as an orphan aircraft (as) we have heard from our competitors. It is there, it has customers and customers will draw customers.

2. Kedar Joshi:

   History is an orphan. It can speak, but cannot hear. It can give, but cannot take. Its wounds and tragedies can be read and known, but cannot be avoided or cured.

3. Ivan Crnkovic-Pavenka:

   We wanted to offer an alternative to killing orphan bear cubs that got attached to human civilization.

4. Saturday KCNA:

   (The graduates of orphan schools) volunteered to work in major worksites for socialist construction out of their will to glorify their youth in the struggle for the prosperity of the country, they finished their school courses under the warm care of the mother Party.

5. Brian Deschanel:

   A parentless child, is an orphan growing wildlife without nurture, guidance, and insecured like a rootless dying flower in vase.

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