Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

father

/ˈfɑ.ðəɹ/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 5.26 in modern English

Syllables: fa-ther
IPA: /ˈfɑ.ðəɹ/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A male parent, especially of a human; a male who parents a child (which he has sired, adopted, fostered, etc.).

noun

A male ancestor more remote than a parent; a progenitor; especially, a first ancestor.

noun

A term of respectful address for an elderly man.

noun

A term of respectful address for a priest.

noun

A person who plays the role of a father in some way.

noun

A pioneering figure in a particular field.

noun

Something that is the greatest or most significant of its kind.

noun

Something inanimate that begets.

Example Sentences

"My father was a strong influence on me."
"My friend Tony just became a father."
"The Pꝛouerbes of Solomon: A wiſe ſonne maketh a glad father: but a fooliſh sonne is the heauineſſe of his mother."
"When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper."
"Ah, but how beautiful (my baby boy) is! And he is mine, mine for ever. Even if he hates me he will be mine. He cannot help it, he is made out of me; I am his father."
"My personal success or failure is insignificant; the rise or fall of the nation is my responsibility and must not be shirked. Upon introspection, I feel I am firmer than ever in confidence that the Communists will be defeated. These are feelings which will comfort Father's soul in Heaven."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₂-? Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr Proto-Germanic *fadēr Proto-West Germanic *fader Old English fæder Middle English fader English father Inherited from Middle English fader, from Old English fæder, from Proto-West Germanic *fader, from Proto-Germanic *fadēr, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr, possibly from *peh₂- + *-tḗr. Doublet of ayr, faeder, athair, padre, pater, and père.

Word Breakdown

Root: *peh₂-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈfɑ.ðəɹ/
British English: /ˈfɑː.ðə/

Inflected Forms

fathers (plural) fathers (present, singular) fathering (participle, present) fathered (participle, past) fathered (past) Fr. (alternative)

Derived Forms

allofather babyfather biofather birthfather elderfather eldfather fathercraft fatherdom fatherer fatherese fatherfucker fatherhood

Phrases

adoptive father All-Father baby father be gathered to one's fathers birth father birthing father bonus father city father

Frequently Paired Words

Father Jupiter paternal paterfamilias beget grandpa pater sire

Synonyms

mother and granddaddy ayr ba baba da dad dada daddio daddy father fatherling governor

Homonyms

farther (most non-rhotic accents)

Antonyms

mother son daughter child

Rhymes With

bother strother rather lather

Questions

How do you pronounce father?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfɑ.ðəɹ/.
What does father mean?: A male parent, especially of a human; a male who parents a child (which he has sired, adopted, fostered, etc.).
Where does father come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₂-? Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr Proto-Germanic *fadēr Proto-West Germanic *fader Old English fæder Middle English fader English father Inherited from Middle English fader, from Old English fæder, from Proto-West Germanic *fader, from Proto-Germanic *fadēr, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr, possibly from *peh₂- + *-tḗr. Doublet of ayr, faeder, athair, padre, pater, and père.

How to pronounce father

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