Main Entry:

¹or·phan

Pronunciation:

\ˈȯr-fən\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Late Latin orphanus, from Greek orphanos; akin to Old High German erbi inheritance, Latin orbus orphaned

Date:

15th century

1 : a child deprived by death of one or usually both parents 2 : a young animal that has lost its mother 3 : one deprived of some protection or advantage <orphans of the storm> 4 : a first line (as of a paragraph) separated from its related text and appearing at the bottom of a printed page or column

— orphan adjective

— or·phan·hood \-ˌhu̇d\ noun