— fatherlike , adj.
/fah"dheuhr/ , n.
1. a male parent.
2. a father-in-law, stepfather, or adoptive father.
3. any male ancestor, esp. the founder of a race, family, or line; progenitor.
4. a man who exercises paternal care over other persons; paternal protector or provider: a father to the poor.
5. a person who has originated or established something: the father of modern psychology; the founding fathers.
6. a precursor, prototype, or early form: The horseless carriage was the father of the modern automobile.
7. one of the leading men in a city, town, etc.: a scandal involving several of the city fathers.
8. Chiefly Brit. the oldest member of a society, profession, etc. Cf. dean 1 (def. 3).
9. a priest.
10. ( cap. ) Theol. the Supreme Being and Creator; God.
11. a title of respect for an elderly man.
12. the Father , Theol. the first person of the Trinity.
13. Also called church father . Ch. Hist. any of the chief early Christian writers, whose works are the main sources for the history, doctrines, and observances of the church in the early ages.
14. Eccles.
a. ( often cap. ) a title of reverence, as for church dignitaries, officers of monasteries, monks, confessors, and esp. priests.
b. a person bearing this title.
15. fathers , Rom. Hist. See conscript fathers .
v.t.
16. to beget.
17. to be the creator, founder, or author of; originate.
18. to act as a father toward.
19. to acknowledge oneself the father of.
20. to assume as one's own; take the responsibility of.
21. to charge with the begetting of.
v.i.
22. to perform the tasks or duties of a male parent; act paternally: Somehow he was able to write a book while fathering.
[ bef. 900; ME fader, OE faeder; c. G Vater, L pater, Gk patér, Skt pitar, OIr athir, Armenian hayr ]