An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless".[1][2]
In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usually relevant (i.e., if the female parent has gone, the offspring is an orphan, regardless of the father's condition).[3]
- ^ "Definition of ORPHAN". www.merriam-webster.com. May 16, 2023.
- ^ The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition "One deprived by death of father or mother, or (usu.) of both; a fatherless or motherless child."
- ^ "orphan". Dictionary.com.