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English Lexicon

Orphan

/ˈɔːfən/
nounadjectiveverbCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #3400 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A child whose parents are dead or have permanently abandoned them.

    "The local charity organized a holiday event to support the children living at the orphanage."
As adjective
  1. 1

    Derived from or relating to a child who has no living parents, or functioning without a parent system, organization, or support network.

    "The software project was left with several orphan files after the main developer departed."
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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Late Latin 'orphanus', from Ancient Greek 'orphanos' (orphanoos meaning bereft, orphan), ultimately tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'bereft of parents'. It entered Middle English via Old French in the 14th century, initially retaining its primary sense of a child deprived of parents by death.

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