I. ˈȯrfən, ˈȯ(ə)f-, dial -nt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Late Latin orphanus, from Greek orphanos; akin to Old English ierfe inheritance, Old High German erbi, Old Norse arfi, Gothic arbi, Old Irish orbe inheritance, Latin orbus orphaned, bereft, Sanskrit arbha small, weak
1.
a. : a child deprived by death of both father and mother : parentless child
b. : half-orphan
c. : a young animal that has lost its mother by death or desertion
pails for feeding calves, bottles and rubber nipples for feeding orphans — Better Feeding of Livestock
2. : one deprived of some protection or advantage
orphans of the storm
internationalists who are orphans of the … national organization — New Republic
II. adjective
Etymology: Late Latin orphanus orphan, noun
: that is an orphan
a home for a delicate … orphan boy — Flora Thompson
the orphan pigs … drink their synthetic milk — Farmer's Weekly South Africa
III. transitive verb
( orphaned ; orphaned ; orphaning -f(ə)niŋ ; orphans )
1. : to cause to become an orphan : deprive of parents
as a boy on a Texas farm he had been orphaned by violence — Saturday Review
orphaned in babyhood, brought up … in public institutions — Times Literary Supplement
2. : to deprive of some protection or advantage
millions were orphaned when he died — New Republic
orphaned of the Primate — Sunday Independent (Dublin)