father

father
    n 1: a male parent (also used as a term of address to your
         father); "his father was born in Atlanta" [syn: {father},
         {male parent}, {begetter}] [ant: {female parent}, {mother}]
    2: the founder of a family; "keep the faith of our forefathers"
       [syn: {forefather}, {father}, {sire}]
    3: `Father' is a term of address for priests in some churches
       (especially the Roman Catholic Church or the Orthodox
       Catholic Church); `Padre' is frequently used in the military
       [syn: {Father}, {Padre}]
    4: (Christianity) any of about 70 theologians in the period from
       the 2nd to the 7th century whose writing established and
       confirmed official church doctrine; in the Roman Catholic
       Church some were later declared saints and became Doctor of
       the Church; the best known Latin Church Fathers are Ambrose,
       Augustine, Gregory the Great, and Jerome; those who wrote in
       Greek include Athanasius, Basil, Gregory Nazianzen, and John
       Chrysostom [syn: {Church Father}, {Father of the Church},
       {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},
       {Fatherhood}]
    7: a person who founds or establishes some institution; "George
       Washington is the father of his country" [syn: {founder},
       {beginner}, {founding father}, {father}]
    8: the head of an organized crime family [syn: {don}, {father}]
    v 1: make children; "Abraham begot Isaac"; "Men often father
         children but don't recognize them" [syn: {beget}, {get},
         {engender}, {father}, {mother}, {sire}, {generate}, {bring
         forth}]
    

Father \Fa"ther\ (f[aum]"[th][~e]r), n. [OE. fader, AS.
   f[ae]der; akin to OS. fadar, D. vader, OHG. fatar, G. vater,
   Icel. fa[eth]ir Sw. & Dan. fader, OIr. athir, L. pater, Gr.
   path`r, Skr. pitr, perh. fr. Skr. p[=a] protect. [root]75,
   247. Cf. {Papa}, {Paternal}, {Patriot}, {Potential},
   {Pablum}.]
   1. One who has begotten a child, whether son or daughter; a
      generator; a male parent.
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            A wise son maketh a glad father.      --Prov. x. 1.
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   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.
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            David slept with his fathers.         --1 Kings ii.
                                                  10.
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            Abraham, who is the father of us all. --Rom. iv. 16.
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   3. One who performs the offices of a parent by maintenance,
      affetionate care, counsel, or protection.
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            I was a father to the poor.           --Job xxix.
                                                  16.
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            He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all
            his house.                            --Gen. xiv. 8.
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   4. A respectful mode of address to an old man.
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            And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him
            [Elisha], . . . and said, O my father, my father!
                                                  --2 Kings
                                                  xiii. 14.
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   5. A senator of ancient Rome.
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   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.
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            Bless you, good father friar !        --Shak.
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   7. One of the chief ecclesiastical authorities of the first
      centuries after Christ; -- often spoken of collectively as
      the Fathers; as, the Latin, Greek, or apostolic Fathers.
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   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.
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            The father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
                                                  --Gen. iv. 21.
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            Might be the father, Harry, to that thought. --Shak.
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            The father of good news.              --Shak.
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   9. The Supreme Being and Creator; God; in theology, the first
      person in the Trinity.
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            Our Father, which art in heaven.      --Matt. vi. 9.
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            Now had the almighty Father from above . . .
            Bent down his eye.                    --Milton.
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   {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.
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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.
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            Cowards father cowards, and base things sire base.
                                                  --Shak.
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   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.).
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            Men of wit
            Often fathered what he writ.          --Swift.
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   3. To provide with a father. [R.]
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            Think you I am no stronger than my sex,
            Being so fathered and so husbanded ?  --Shak.
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   {To father on} or {To father 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.
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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)
    

FATHER. PUTATIVE. A reputed father. Vide Putative father.
    

FATHER, domestic relations. He by whom a child is begotten.
     2. A father is the natural guardian of his children, and his duty by 
the natural law consists in maintaining them and educating them during their 
infancy, and making a necessary provision for their happiness in life. This 
latter, however, is a duty which the law does not enforce. 
     3. By law, the father is bound to support his children, if of 
sufficient ability, even though they have property of their own. 1 Bro. C. 
C. 387; 4 Mass. R. 97; 2 Mass. R. 415 5 Rawle, 323. But he is not bound, 
without some agreement, to pay another for maintaining them; 9 C. & P. 497; 
nor is he bound to pay their debts, unless he has authorized them to be 
contracted. 38 E. C. L. R. 195, n. See 8 Watts, R. 366 1 Craig. & Phil. 317; 
Bind; Nother; Parent. This obligation ceases as soon as the child becomes of 
age, unless he becomes chargeable to the public. 1 Ld. Ray. 699. 
     4. The rights of the father are authority over his children, to enforce 
all his lawful commands, and to correct with moderation his children for 
disobedience. A father may delegate his power over the person of his child 
to a tutor or instructor, the better to accomplish the purposes of his 
education. This power ceases on the arrival of the child at the age of 
twenty-one years. Generally, the father is entitled to the services of his 
children during their minority. 4 S. & R. 207; Bouv. Inst. Index, h.t. 
    

40 Moby Thesaurus words for "Father":
      Ambrose of Milan, Athanasius, Barnabas, Basil, Brother,
      Clement of Alexandria, Clement of Rome, Cyprian of Carthage,
      Cyril of Jerusalem, Dom, Gregory of Nyssa, Hermas, His Grace,
      His Holiness, His Reverence, Holiness, Ignatius, Irenaeus, Jerome,
      John, John Chrysostom, Justin Martyr, Lactantius Firmianus, Luke,
      Mark, Monsignor, Mother, Origen, Papias, Paul, Peter, Polycarp,
      Rabbi, Sister, Tertullian, ante-Nicene Fathers, apostle, disciple,
      evangelist, saint

    

260 Moby Thesaurus words for "father":
      Establishment, VIP, abba, abbe, affiliate to, agent, ancestor,
      ancestors, apprentice, architect, artificer, artist, aunt, auntie,
      author, baron, bear, beget, begetter, beginner, big gun, big man,
      big name, bigwig, birth, blood brother, brass, brass hat, breed,
      breed true, brethren, bring about, bring forth, bring to birth,
      bring to effect, bring to pass, brother, bub, bubba, bud, buddy,
      builder, cassock, catalyst, cause, causer, celebrity, chaplain,
      clergyman, conceive, conceiver, confessor, constructor, copulate,
      country cousin, cousin, cousin once removed, cousin twice removed,
      craftsman, create, creator, crossbreed, cure, dad, daddy, daughter,
      dean, derive from, designer, deviser, dignitary, dignity,
      discoverer, do, doyen, doyenne, effect, effector, effectuate,
      elder, eldest, encourager, engender, engenderer, engineer,
      establish, executor, executrix, father confessor, father in Christ,
      figure, filiate to, first cousin, first-born, firstling, forebear,
      forefather, foster brother, foster father, found, founder, frame,
      framer, frater, gallach, generate, generator, genitor, gestate,
      get, give birth to, give occasion to, give origin to, give rise to,
      governor, grandnephew, grandniece, granduncle, great man,
      great-aunt, great-uncle, grower, half brother, hatch,
      important person, inaugurate, inaugurator, inbreed, industrialist,
      initiate, initiator, inspirer, instigator, institute, institutor,
      interests, introducer, invent, inventor, journeyman, kid brother,
      lion, lords of creation, magnate, make, make love, maker,
      man of mark, manufacturer, master, master craftsman, minister,
      mogul, mother, motor, mover, multiply, nabob, name, nephew, niece,
      notability, notable, nuncle, nunks, nunky, occasion, old boy,
      old man, older, oldest, organizer, originate, originator, outbreed,
      pa, padre, panjandrum, pap, papa, pappy, parent, parish priest,
      parson, past master, pastor, pater, paterfamilias, patriarch,
      penitentiary, person of renown, personage, personality,
      pillar of society, planner, pop, pops, power, power elite,
      precursor, presbyter, priest, prime mover, primogenitor,
      primum mobile, procreate, produce, producer, progenerate,
      progenitor, proliferate, promoter, propagate, raiser, realize,
      realizer, reproduce in kind, ruling circle, sachem, second cousin,
      senior, set afloat, set on foot, set up, shaper, shepherd, sire,
      sis, sissy, sister, sister-german, sistern, sky pilot, smith, soil,
      somebody, something, son, spawn, spiritual director,
      spiritual father, stepbrother, stepfather, stepsister, supporter,
      the great, the old man, the top, top brass, top people, trace to,
      tycoon, unc, uncle, uncs, uterine brother, very important person,
      work, worthy, wright