Entry Word: father

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 a male human parent <the special relationship that exists between fathers and sons>

Synonyms dad, daddy, old man, pa, papa, pop

Related Words patriarch

2 a person who establishes a whole new field of endeavor <Sir Isaac Newton is regarded by many as the father of modern science>

Synonyms author, begetter, creator, establisher, founder, generator, inaugurator, initiator, instituter (or institutor), originator

Related Words conceiver, contriver, designer, formulator, innovator, inventor, spawner; builder, maker, producer; developer, pioneer, researcher; organizer, promoter; encourager, inspiration, inspirer

Near Antonyms disciple, follower, supporter

3 a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church <a request that the fathers at the oratory remember the soul of a deceased relative in their prayers> — see clergyman
4 a person who is several generations earlier in an individual's line of descent <our fathers founded this nation on the fundamental belief that no person is entitled to rule by divine right> — see ancestor 1
5 capitalizedthe being worshipped as the creator and ruler of the universe <let us ask humbly for the blessings of our Father in heaven> — see deity 2