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more about father
father |
4 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Father \Fa"ther\, n. [OE. fader, AS f[ae]der; akin to OS fadar, D. vader, OHG. fatar, G. vater, Icel. Fa?ir Sw & Dan. fader, OIr. athir, L. pater, Gr ?????, Skr. pitr, perh. fr Skr. p[=a] protect. ???,???. Cf {Papa}, {Paternal}, {Patriot}, {Potential}, {Pablum}.] 1. One who has begotten a child, whether son or daughter; a generator; a male parent. A wise son maketh a glad father. --Prov. x. 1. 2. A male ancestor more remote than a parent; a progenitor; especially, a first ancestor; a founder of a race or family; -- in the plural, fathers, ancestors. David slept with his fathers. --1 Kings ii 10. Abraham, who is the father of us all --Rom. iv 16. 3. One who performs the offices of a parent by maintenance, affetionate care counsel, or protection. I was a father to the poor. --Job xxix. 16. He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house. --Gen. xiv. 8. 4. A respectful mode of address to an old man. And Joash the king og Israel came down unto him [Elisha], . . . and said O my father, my father! --2 Kings xiii. 14. 5. A senator of ancient Rome. 6. A dignitary of the church, a superior of a convent, a confessor (called also {father confessor}), or a priest; also the eldest member of a profession, or of a legislative assembly, etc Bless you good father friar ! --Shak. 7. One of the chief esslesiastical authorities of the first centuries after Christ; -- often spoken of collectively as the Fathers; as the Latin, Greek, or apostolic Fathers. 8. One who or that which gives origin; an originator; a producer, author, or contriver; the first to practice any art, profession, or occupation; a distinguished example or teacher. The father of all such as handle the harp and organ. --Gen. iv 21. Might be the father, Harry, to that thought. --Shak. The father of good news --Shak. 9. The Supreme Being and Creator; God; in theology, the first person in the Trinity. Our Father, which art in heaven. --Matt. vi 9. Now had the almighty Father from above . . . Bent down his eye. --Milton. {Adoptive father}, one who adopts the child of another, treating it as his own {Apostolic father}, {Conscript fathers, etc.} See under {Apostolic}, {Conscript}, etc {Father in God}, a title given to bishops. {Father of lies}, the Devil. {Father of the bar}, the oldest practitioner at the bar. {Fathers of the city}, the aldermen. {Father of the Faithful}. a Abraham. --Rom. iv --Gal. iii. 6-9. b Mohammed, or one of the sultans, his successors. {Father of the house}, the member of a legislative body who has had the longest continuous service. {Most Reverend Father in God}, a title given to archbishops and metropolitans, as to the archbishops of Canterbury and York. {Natural father}, the father of an illegitimate child. {Putative father}, one who is presumed to be the father of an illegitimate child; the supposed father. {Spiritual father}. a A religious teacher or guide, esp. one instrumental in leading a soul to God. b (R. C. Ch.) A priest who hears confession in the sacrament of penance. {The Holy Father} (R. C. Ch.), the pope. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Father \Fa"ther\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Fathered}; p. pr & vb n. {Fathering}.] 1. To make one's self the father of to beget. Cowards father cowards, and base things sire base. --Shak. 2. To take as one's own child; to adopt; hence to assume as one's own work to acknowledge one's self author of or responsible for (a statement, policy, etc.). Men of wit Often fathered what he writ. --Swift. 3. To provide with a father. [R.] Think you I am no stronger than my sex, Being so fathered and so husbanded ? --Shak. {To father on} or {upon}, to ascribe to or charge upon as one's offspring or work to put or lay upon as being responsible. ``Nothing can be so uncouth or extravagant, which may not be fathered on some fetch of wit, or some caprice of humor.'' --Barrow. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: father n 1: a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father); "his father was born in Atlanta" [syn: {male parent}, {begetter}] [ant: {mother}, {mother}] 2: the founder of a family; "keep the faith of our forefathers" [syn: {forefather}, {sire}] 3: `Father' is a term of address for priests in some churches (especially Roman or Orthodox Catholic); `Padre' is frequently used in the military [syn: {Father}, {Padre}] 4: an early writer accepted as an authority on the teachings and practices of the Christian church [syn: {Church Father}, {Father}] 5: a person who holds an important or distinguished position in some organization; "the tennis fathers ruled in her favor"; "the city fathers endorsed the proposal" 6: God when considered as the first person in the Trinity; "hear our prayers, Heavenly Father" [syn: {Father}, {Father-God}] 7: a person who founds or establishes some institution; "George Washington is the father of his country" [syn: {founder}, {beginner}, {founding father}] v : make children; "Abraham begot Isaac"; "Men often father children but don't recognize them" [syn: {beget}, {get}, {engender}, {mother}, {sire}, {generate}, {bring forth}] From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]: Father a name applied (1) to any ancestor (Deut. 1:11; 1 Kings 15:11; Matt. 3:9; 23:30, etc.); and (2) as a title of respect to a chief, ruler, or elder, etc (Judg. 17:10; 18:19; 1 Sam. 10:12; 2 Kings 2:12; Matt. 23:9, etc.). (3) The author or beginner of anything is also so called e.g., Jabal and Jubal (Gen. 4:20, 21; comp. Job 38:28). Applied to God (Ex. 4:22; Deut. 32:6; 2 Sam. 7:14; Ps 89:27, 28, etc.). (1.) As denoting his covenant relation to the Jews (Jer. 31:9; Isa. 63:16; 64:8; John 8:41, etc.). (2.) Believers are called God's sons" (John 1:12; Rom. 8:16; Matt. 6:4, 8, 15, 18; 10:20, 29). They also call him Father" (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 1:4)
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