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orphan

Pronunciation: /ˈɔːf(ə)n/
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Definition of orphan

noun

  • 1a child whose parents are dead: he was left an orphan as a small boy [as modifier]:an orphan girl orphan chimps
  • 2 Printing the first line of a paragraph set as the last line of a page or column, considered undesirable.

verb

[with object]
  • make (a child) an orphan:John was orphaned at 12

Derivatives

orphanhood

noun

Origin:

late Middle English: via late Latin from Greek orphanos 'bereaved'

orphan in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of orphan in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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