Orphan

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɔːfən/

Definitions

1. A child whose parents have both died or permanently abandoned them
2. A person, especially a child, who has lost both parents through death or abandonment while being unable to establish a family connection
3. An individual lacking parental support due to the death or desertion of both parents, often facing societal challenges

Etymology: The most striking thing about "orphan" is that its ancestor word once meant something close to "bereaved" or "deprived," with no reference to children at all. Ancient Greek "orphanos" described anyone left without a parent, and it was a stripped-down term for loss rather than a label for a young person. Its roots run deep: the same Proto-Indo-European base also produced Latin "orbus," meaning "orphaned" or "bereft," and the Old English "ierfa," meaning "heir," which is a sharp reminder that the idea of inheritance and the idea of being left behind share a common ancestor. English took the word in the late Middle English period, borrowing it through Late Latin "orphanus." For centuries it kept its wider sense of anyone bereft of a parent, and only later narrowed to the image of a child alone in the world that most readers now picture.

Synonyms: waif, foundling