orphan
orphan Lexical Profile
orphan Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A child whose parents are dead, or a young animal that has permanently lost its mother.
"After the war, the charitable foundation established schools and homes for thousands of orphans."
A product, technology, or creative work that has been discontinued, abandoned by its creator, or left without an identifiable owner or support system.
"Once the manufacturer went bankrupt, the specialized printer became an orphan with no replacement parts available."
In typesetting, the first line of a paragraph that appears alone at the bottom of a page or column, separated from the rest of the text.
"The book designer adjusted the page margins to eliminate an awkward orphan at the bottom of the chapter."
• adjective
Having no living parents, or deprived of parental care.
"The wildlife sanctuary specializes in rehabilitating orphan bear cubs until they can survive in the wild."
Lacking a commercial sponsor, active developer, or institutional support, especially regarding a pharmaceutical drug for a rare disease or a discontinued technology.
"Federal incentives encourage pharmaceutical companies to develop orphan drugs for rare genetic disorders."
• verb
To cause a child or young animal to lose its parents through death or permanent separation (usually used in the passive voice).
"The protagonist of the novel was orphaned at an early age and raised by her aunt in the countryside."
To abandon, discontinue support for, or sever a component, file, or project from its parent system or organization.
"Upgrading the operating system accidentally orphaned several legacy software drivers."
Word Nuance & Usage
In typography and desktop publishing, an 'orphan' is the first line of a paragraph stranded alone at the bottom of a page or column, whereas a 'widow' is the last line of a paragraph left alone at the top of the next page.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin orphanus, from Ancient Greek orphanos ('bereaved, parentless'), ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'bereft' or 'abandoned', which is also cognate with Latin orbus ('bereft').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.