father

Noun

• the head of an organized crime family

• a person who founds or establishes some institution
  • George Washington is the father of his country
    

• God when considered as the first person in the Trinity
  • hear our prayers, Heavenly Father
    

• 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
    

• (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

• `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

• the founder of a family
  • keep the faith of our forefathers
    

• a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
  • his father was born in Atlanta
    

Verb

• make children
  • Abraham begot Isaac
    
  • Men often father children but don't recognize them
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  don , founder , beginner , founding father , Father , Father-God , Fatherhood , Church Father , Father of the Church , Padre , forefather , sire , male parent , begetter , beget , get , engender , mother , generate , bring forth
• Antonyms: 
  mother , female parent