[fa.ther] n [ME fader, fr. OE faeder; akin to OHG fater father, L pater, Gk pater] (bef. 12c) 1 a: a man who has begotten a child; also: sire 3 b cap (1): god 1 (2): the first person of the Trinity
2: forefather 3 a: one related to another in a way suggesting that of father to child b: an old man--used as a respectful form of address
4. often cap: a pre-Scholastic Christian writer accepted by the church as an authoritative witness to its teaching and practice--called also church father
5. a: one that originates or institutes "the ~ of modern science" b: source "the sun, the ~ of warmth and light --Lena M. Whitney" c: prototype
6: a priest of the regular clergy; broadly: priest--used esp. as a title 7: one of the leading men (as of a city)--usu. used in pl. -- fa.ther.hood n -- fa.ther.less adj -- fa.ther.like adj or adv
[2]father vb fa.thered ; fa.ther.ing vt (15c) 1 a: beget b: to make oneself the founder, producer, or author of "~ed the improvement plan" c: to accept responsibility for
2. a: to fix the paternity or origin of b: to place responsibility for the origin or cause of "collected gossip and ~ed it on responsible men --J. A. Williamson"
3: foist, impose ~ vi: to care for or look after someone as a father might