Main Entry: ²father

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): fa·thered; fa·ther·ing \ˈfäth-riŋ, ˈfä-thə-\

Date: 15th century

transitive verb 1 a : beget b : to be the founder, producer, or author of <fathered the improvement plan> c : to accept responsibility for
2 a : to fix the paternity or origin of b : to place responsibility for the origin or cause of <collected gossip and fathered it on responsible men — J. A. Williamson>
3 : foist, imposeintransitive verb : to care for or look after someone as a father might