different between father vs sistren

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

See the etymology of the main entry.

Alternative forms

• sistern

Noun

sistren

1. (archaic) plural of sister
   • 1570 March 13. Will of David Tyrry Fitz Edmonde:

     My wyfe to have my dwelling house during her widowhood, that is to say, the hall, the parlor, and the small seller: to my sistren Catheryn and Ellen Tyrry their grinding in my myll during their lives, paying noo toll nor multhe money.

   • 2003 April 16 (airdate). Angel (TV series), episode "The Magic Bullet"

     LORNE: Blessings and moon pies, brethren and sistren!

Usage notes

• This form died out around the sixteenth century. Since then, it has been most often used jocularly together with brethren, as in “brethren and sistren”.

Noun

sistren (plural sistrens)

1. (Rastafari) A close female friend, family member, or comrade.

Coordinate terms

• bredrin

Anagrams

• Inserts, Stiners, Strines, estrins, inserts, sestrin, sinters, sistern

Middle English

Noun

sistren

1. Alternative form of sustren (plural of suster)