orphan
(noun) a young animal without a mother
orphan
(noun) the first line of a paragraph that is set as the last line of a page or column
orphan
(noun) a child who has lost both parents
orphan
(noun) someone or something who lacks support or care or supervision
orphan
(verb) deprive of parents
Source: WordNet® 3.1
orphan (plural orphans)
A person, especially a minor, both or (rarely) one of whose parents have died.
A person, especially a minor, whose parents have permanently abandoned them.
A young animal with no mother.
(figuratively) Anything that is unsupported, as by its source, provider or caretaker, by reason of the supporter's demise or decision to abandon.
(typography) A single line of type, beginning a paragraph, at the bottom of a column or page.
(computing) Any unreferenced object.
orphan (not comparable)
Deprived of parents (also orphaned).
(by extension, figuratively) Remaining after the removal of some form of support.
orphan (third-person singular simple present orphans, present participle orphaning, simple past and past participle orphaned)
(transitive) To deprive of parents (used almost exclusively in the passive)
(transitive, computing) To make unavailable, as by removing the last remaining pointer or reference to.
• harp on
Source: Wiktionary
Or"phan, n. Etym: [L. orphanus, Gr. orbus. Cf. Orb a blank window.]
Definition: A child bereaved of both father and mother; sometimes, also, a child who has but one parent living. Orphans' court (Law), a court in some of the States of the Union, having jurisdiction over the estates and persons of orphans or other wards. Bouvier.
Or"phan, a.
Definition: Bereaved of parents, or (sometimes) of one parent.
Or"phan, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Orphaned; p. pr. & vb. n. Orphaning.]
Definition: To cause to become an orphan; to deprive of parents. Young.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
3 April 2025
(noun) an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; “how big is that part compared to the whole?”; “the team is a unit”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
