Dictionary

fatherless en · ADJ

Etymology

From Middle English faderles, federles, from Old English fæderlēas, from Proto-Germanic *fadērlausaz, equivalent to father + -less. Cognate with German vaterlos.

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Without a (living) father.
   • “Homer’s Triple Bypass” has the potential to be the most depressing episode in the history of The Simpsons, if not television as whole. It is, after all, about a 36-year-old husband and father staring down death and the prospect of leaving his wife a young widow and his small children fatherless. 2012 June 17, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Homer’s Triple Bypass” (season 4, episode 11; originally aired 12/17/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:
2. (figuratively, not-comparable) Without a known author or inventor.

Forms

Coordinates

motherless

Deriveds

fatherlessness

Hypernyms

parentless

Relateds

orphan · father figure · half orphan

Translations (21)

hu atyátlan (without a living father) · da faderløs (without a living father) · kmr bêbav (without a living father) · nb farløs (without a living father) · hu apátlan (without a living father) · tr babasız (without a living father) · grc ἀπάτωρ (without a living father) · pl bez ojca (without a living father) · de vaterlos (without a living father) · izh ätitöin (without a living father) · te తండ్రిలేని (without a living father) · ka უმამო (without a living father) · tr yetim (without a living father) · nb farlaus (without a living father) · gu નબાપું (without a living father) · sv faderlös (without a living father) · nl vaderloos (without a living father) · fi isätön (without a living father) · sa अनाथ (without a living father) · wyi moorré (without a living father) · nn farlaus (without a living father)