daughter

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noun daugh·ter \ˈdȯ-tər, ˈdä-\

Definition of daughter

1 anthropology a : a female offspring especially of human parentsb : a female adopted childc : a human female descendant
2 : something considered as a daughter the United States is a daughter of Great Britain
3 chemistry : an atomic species (see ¹species 1e) that is the product of the radioactive decay (see ²decay 6a) of a given element radon, the daughter of radium

daughterless

play \-ləs\ adjective

See daughter defined for English-language learners

See daughter defined for kids

Examples of daughter in a Sentence

We have a daughter and two sons.

Recent Examples of daughter from the Web

IN 1953 B.F. Skinner visited his daughter’s maths class.

— The Economist, "Education technologyTogether, technology and teachers can revamp schools," 22 July 2017
At Simpson’s side in his bid for freedom will be lawyer Malcolm LaVergne, close friend Tom Scotto, sister Shirley Baker and daughter Arnelle Simpson.

— ken ritter, The Seattle Times, "OJ Simpson drawing world attention during plea for freedom," 20 July 2017
Area franchisee Jennifer Gardner is the majority partner, with her daughter, Mel Ginther, as minority partner.

— joyce smith, kansascity, "Northland updates: New Draftcade has arcade games, fried Twinkies; Sheridan’s is back," 19 July 2017
My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom.

— emily jane fox, The Hive, "Jared Kushner Isn’t Going Anywhere," 17 July 2017
In early 2012, Rich was living with a girlfriend and her 3-year-old daughter in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

— carl prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "In rare move, federal judge overrules military court and reopens molestation case," 17 July 2017
Although the girls’ parents say that their daughters are being held against there will, the law says otherwise.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "7 Things We Learned About R Kelly From Buzzfeed's Article On His Secret 'Cult'," 17 July 2017
Vintner's Daughter founder and Napa native April Gargiulo lets us in on her local spots.

— april gargiulo, Bon Appetit, "My Best Day In California's Wine Country Looks Like This," 10 July 2017
The eldest Obama daughter has been busy this summer, traveling with her family while also interning at Harvey Weinstein.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "How Malia Obama Celebrated Her 19th Birthday," 10 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'daughter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of daughter

Middle English, doughter, from Old English dohtor; akin to Old High German tohter daughter, Greek thygatēr

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

daughter

adjective daugh·ter

Definition of daughter

1 : having the characteristics or relationship of a daughter (see ¹daughter 1)
2 biology : belonging to the first generation of offspring, organelles, or molecules produced by reproduction, division, or replication a daughter cell daughter DNA molecules

Origin and Etymology of daughter

see ¹daughter

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1610

See Words from the same year

Other Genetics Terms

chimera, hermaphrodite, plasticity

DAUGHTER Defined for English Language Learners

daughter

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noun

Definition of daughter for English Language Learners

: a female child

DAUGHTER Defined for Kids

daughter

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noun daugh·ter \ˈdȯ-tər\

Definition of daughter for Students

1 : a female child or offspring
2 : a woman or girl associated with or thought of as a child of something (as a country, race, or religion) The book tells the stories of two daughters of Africa.

Medical Dictionary

daughter

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noun daugh·ter \ˈdȯt-ər\

Medical Definition of daughter

1a: a human female having the relation of child to a parentb: a female offspring of an animal
2: an atomic species that is the product of the radioactive decay of a given element radon is the daughter of radium

daughter

adjective daugh·ter

Medical Definition of daughter

1: having the characteristics or relationship of a daughter
2: belonging to the first generation of offspring, organelles, or molecules produced by reproduction, division, or replication a daughter cell daughter chromosomes