different between orphan vs motherless

English

Alternative forms

• orphane (obsolete)

Etymology

Late Middle English, from Late Latin orphanus, from Ancient Greek ??????? (orphanós, “without parents, fatherless”), from Proto-Indo-European *h?órb?os.

Cognate with Sanskrit ???? (árbha), Latin orbus (“orphaned”), Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe (“heir”)), Old English ierfa (“heir”). More at erf.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???f?n/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /???f?n/
• Rhymes: -??(?)f?n
• Homophone: often (non-rhotic accents with the lot–cloth split)

Noun

orphan (plural orphans)

1. A person, especially a minor, both or (rarely) one of whose parents have died.
2. A person, especially a minor, whose parents have permanently abandoned them.
3. A young animal with no mother.
4. (figuratively) Anything that is unsupported, as by its source, provider or caretaker, by reason of the supporter's demise or decision to abandon.
5. (typography) A single line of type, beginning a paragraph, at the bottom of a column or page.
6. (computing) Any unreferenced object.

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

orphan (not comparable)

1. Deprived of parents (also orphaned).

2. (by extension, figuratively) Remaining after the removal of some form of support.

Translations

Related terms

• orphan drug

Verb

orphan (third-person singular simple present orphans, present participle orphaning, simple past and past participle orphaned)

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

2. (transitive, computing) To make unavailable, as by removing the last remaining pointer or reference to.

Conjugation

References

• "orphan" at OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Orphan in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• harp on

English

Etymology

From Middle English moderles, from Old English m?dorl?as, from Proto-Germanic *m?d?rlausaz, equivalent to mother +? -less. Cognate with Saterland Frisian muurloos (“motherless”), Dutch moederloos (“motherless”), German mutterlos (“motherless”), Danish moderløs (“motherless”), Swedish moderlös (“motherless”), Icelandic móðurlaus (“motherless”).

Pronunciation

Adjective

motherless (not comparable)

1. Without a (living) mother.
2. Without mother (mucilaginous substance in fermenting liquid).
   • 1997, Good Housekeeping, volume 225, page 132:

     Once the bottle is opened, the starter may develop again if the vinegar is in your cupboard for awhile. If its appearance bothers you, strain the vinegar through several layers of cheesecloth into a sterilized bottle. Motherless or not, vinegar has [...]
3. (figuratively) Without a history or predecessor.

Hypernyms

• parentless

Coordinate terms

• fatherless

Derived terms

• motherlessness

Translations

Adverb

motherless (comparative more motherless, superlative most motherless)

1. (South Africa, Australia, slang) very, completely (especially in reference to drunkenness)
   • 2009, Bryce Courtenay, The Story Of Danny Dunn:

     At the wake, held at her old pub, Brenda watched as her sisters, brothers-in-law and several nieces and nephews got motherless drunk, then summoned a taxi to take them all home in two separate trips.

See also

• half orphan
• orphan