Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

orphan

/ˈɔːfən/ noun

In Latin: orbus, orba Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about orphan at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A child who has lost both parents.
Someone or something who lacks support or care or supervision.
The first line of a paragraph that is set as the last line of a page or column.

verb

Deprive of parents.

Origin

Late Middle English, from Late Latin orphanus, from Ancient Greek ὀρφανός (orphanós, “without parents, fatherless”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃órbʰos. PIE word *h₃órbʰos Cognate with Sanskrit अर्भ (árbha), Latin orbus (“orphaned”), Old Armenian որբ (orb, “orphan”), Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe (“heir”)), Old English ierfa (“heir”). More at erf.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word