different between father vs pather

English

Etymology

From Middle English fader, from Old English fæder, from Proto-West Germanic *fader, from Proto-Germanic *fad?r, from Proto-Indo-European *ph?t?r. Doublet of ayr, faeder, padre, pater, and père.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: fä'th?(r), IPA^(key): /?f??ð?(?)/
• (General American) enPR: fä'th?r, IPA^(key): /?f?ð?/
• (General Australian) enPR: fä'th?, IPA^(key): /?fa?ð?/
• (obsolete) enPR: f?'th?r, IPA^(key): /?fæð??/
• Homophone: farther (in non-rhotic accents)
• Rhymes: -??ð?(r)
• Hyphenation: fa?ther

Noun

father (plural fathers)

1. A (generally human) male who begets a child.
2. A male ancestor more remote than a parent; a progenitor; especially, a first ancestor.
3. A term of respectful address for an elderly man.

4. A term of respectful address for a priest.
5. A person who plays the role of a father in some way.
6. The founder of a discipline or science.

7. Something that is the greatest or most significant of its kind.
   • 1991, The Nairobi Law Monthly:

     Soon after the announcement of this year's election results, Mereka said that "the father of all battles had just begun." His dispute with Muite goes back to March last year […]

   • 2002, Financial Management:

     "If UK GDP slows by 1 per cent, there is the mother and father of all recessions. It was exciting, but very bizarre, working in such an environment."

   • 2012, Zubairu Wai, Epistemologies of African Conflicts: Violence, Evolutionism, and the War in Sierra Leone, Palgrave Macmillan: (?ISBN), page 93:

     “The Father of All Battles”

     On March 23, 1991, a band of armed insurgents attacked the town of Bomaru […]

8. Something inanimate that begets.

Synonyms

• (parent): see Thesaurus:father
• (most significant thing): see mother and granddaddy

Antonyms

• (with regards to gender) mother
• (with regards to ancestry) son, daughter, child

Hypernyms

• (a male parent): parent

Derived terms

Related terms

• Father
• Jupiter
• paternal

Translations

Verb

father (third-person singular simple present fathers, present participle fathering, simple past and past participle fathered)

1. To be a father to; to sire.
   • 1592, William Shakespeare, 1 Henry VI v 4

     Well, go to; we'll have no bastards live; Especially since Charles must father it.

2. (figuratively) To give rise to.
   • 1610, William Shakespeare, Cymbeline ii 2

     Cowards father cowards and base things sire base.

3. To act as a father; to support and nurture.
   • 1610, William Shakespeare, Cymbeline iv 2

     Ay, good youth! And rather father thee than master thee.

4. To provide with a father.
5. To adopt as one's own.
   • 1713, Jonathan Swift, Imitation of Horace, Book I. Ep. VII.

     Kept company with men of wit / Who often fathered what he writ.

Translations

See also

• beget
• grandpa
• pater
• paternal
• sire

Anagrams

• afther, fareth, hafter, trefah

Middle English

Noun

father

1. (Late Middle English) Alternative form of fader

English

Etymology

path +? -er

Noun

pather (plural pathers)

1. (computer games) A non-player character that walks a repeating path.

Anagrams

• Tharpe, hapter, tephra, teraph, threap