father
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mother will be worried if I come home late. When talking of someone else's father or mother, use a suitable possessive pronoun: Does your mother know you're out? | Where is his father now? When talking of a male or a female parent, use articles in the normal way: It's hard work being a mother. | Most people blamed the father for the family's problems.
Compare father, dad, daddy, mother, mum, mummy. The ways in which sons and daughters address their parents vary from family to family. The most common forms of address are probably mum (AmE mom) and dad. In many families mother and father are used, but some families consider these terms too formal. Mummy (AmE mommy) and daddy are also commonly used, especially by children, but by some adult sons and daughters too, especially in upper-class families.
father² v [T] old use or humor (of a man) to become the father of: (fig.) He fathered the concept of the welfare state.
father sthg. on/upon sbdy. phr v [T] especially BrE to say or suggest that (someone) is responsible for inventing or think- ing of: Don't try and father that silly idea on me.
Father n 1 a title of respect for a priest, especially a Roman Catholic priest: Father Conolly is our local priest. | Will you have some more tea, Father? 2 our Father/the Father in the Christian religion, a name for God: our Heavenly Father
,Father 'Christmas n [S] BrE an imaginary man who wears red clothes, has a long white beard, and is said to bring presents to children at Christmas; SANTA CLAUS
'father ,figure n an especially older man on whom one depends for advice, help, moral support etc
fa-ther hood /'fa:ðəhʊd||-ðər-/ n [U] the condition of being a father: the responsibilities of fatherhood
'father-in-law n pl. fathers-in-law or father-in-laws the father of a person's wife or husband
,Father ,Knows 'Best a US television programme made in the 1950s, whose characters were considered to be a perfect happy family with typical American values. The father went to work and always knew how to solve his children's problems, the mother stayed at home with the children and was caring and kind, and the children were good and respected their parents.
fa-ther·land /'fa:ðəlænd||-ðər-/ n (used especially of Ger- many) the country of one's birth or family origin → see also MOTHER COUNTRY
fa-ther·ly /'fa:ðəli||-ðər-/ adj apprec like or typical of a good father: a fatherly old doctor | He gave her a fatherly kiss. → compare PATERNAL -liness n [U]
,Father of the 'Church n pl. Fathers of the Church one of the teachers of the early Christian church whose writings are used to answer any difficult points of faith or practice
Fathers 4 Jus-tice /,fa:ðəz fə 'dʒʌstɪs||-ðərz fər-/ abbrev. F4J a political organization in the UK, started in 2003, that CAMPAIGNS (=organizes a series of actions intended to achieve a particular result) for the rights of DIVORCED fathers in Britain. It wants divorced fathers to be allowed to spend more time with their children and to have an equal oppor- tunity to care for and live with their children, which it claims does not happen under the existing law. Fathers 4 Justice is well-known for organizing protests which bring them attention from the MEDIA. In May 2004, for example, two members of the group threw bombs containing purple flour at the Prime Minister during Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons.
'Father's Day n a special Sunday in June on which fathers are given cards and presents as a sign of love and to thank them for everything they do → compare MOTHER'S DAY and see Feature on page A18
Father Ted /,fa:ðə 'ted||-ðər-/ a humorous British television programme about three Irish priests and their HOUSEKEEPER (=a woman employed to do the cooking, cleaning etc in a house), who are always making mistakes and doing silly things without intending to
fath·om¹ /'fæðəm/ n a unit of measurement (6 feet or 1.8 metres) for the depth of water: The boat sank in twenty fathoms.
fathom² v [T(out)] infml to get at the true meaning of; come to
understand: I couldn't fathom his meaning. | [+wh-] I've been trying to fathom out how to do it.
fathom·less /'fæðəmləs/ adj especially lit too deep to be measured or understood; UNFATHOMABLE: fathomless depths
fa-tigue /fə'ti:g/ n 1 [U] great tiredness; exhaustion (EXHAUST): He was pale with fatigue after his sleepless night. 2 [U] tech the tendency of a metal to break as the result of repeated bending (especially in the phrase: metal fatigue) 3 [C] (in the army) a job of cleaning or cooking: fatigue duty | He had to spend Sunday doing fatigues.
fa·tigued /fə'ti:gd/ adj fml extremely tired: He felt irritable and fatigued after the long journey.
fa·tigues /fə'ti:gz/ n [P] also fa'tigue ,uniform AmE n [C] army clothes worn for field duty
fat·so /'fætsəʊ/ n infml derog a fat person: Hey, fatso - get off my car!
fat·ted calf /,fætɪd 'ka:f||-'kæf/ → see kill the fatted calf (KILL)
fat·ten /'fætn/ v [T(UP)] to make fatter: The pigs are being fattened for market. | Have some more cake! You need fattening up a bit. | fattening foods
fat·ty¹ /'fæti/ adj containing (a lot of) fat: fatty tissue | She can't eat fatty meat - give her lean beef. -tiness n [U]
fatty² also fatso n infml derog (used especially by children) a fat person
,fatty 'acid n (the chemical name for) an ORGANIC acid which a cell needs in order to process food and produce ENERGY (=the power to do work)
fat·u·ous /'fætʃuəs/ adj very silly without seeming to know it: What a fatuous remark! -ly adv —fatuousness, fatuity /fə'tju:ɪti||fə'tu:-/ n [U]
fat·wa /'fætwɑ:/ n a formal legal opinion given by an Islamic (ISLAM) religious leader or official religious authority
fau·cet /'fɔ:sɪt/ n AmE for TAP
Faulk·ner, William /'fɔ:lknər/ (1897-1962) a US writer of novels about the SOUTH of the US, such as The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying
fault¹ /fɔ:lt/ n 1 a mistake or imperfection; something wrong or incorrect: There are several faults in the figures. | A small electrical fault in the motor caused it to stop. | Through no fault of her own (=not because of any mistake she made) she lost her job. 2 a bad or weak point, but not of a serious moral kind, in someone's character: Your only fault is that you won't concentrate. | I love her for her faults as well as for her virtues. 3 tech (in GEOLOGY) a crack in the Earth's surface, where one band of rock has slid against another → see EARTHQUAKE, SAN ANDREAS FAULT 4 (in games like tennis) a mistake in a SERVICE which may lose a point: a double fault 5 at fault in the wrong: Which driver was at fault in the car crash? 6 be someone's fault to be something for which someone can rightly be blamed: 'It's not our fault (that) we're late.' 'Whose fault is it, then?' 7 find fault (with) to complain (about), especially too much or too often: She's always finding fault with the way I do things. 8 to a fault (of a good quality) to an extreme degree; too much: He's generous to a fault. → see WRONG (USAGE)
fault² v 1 [T usually in questions or negatives] to find a mistake or imperfection in: It was impossible to fault her performance her logic. 2 [I] tech (of rocks) to break and form a: FAULT ancient faulted rocks
fault·less /'fɔ:ltləs/ adj apprec without a fault; perfect: an absolutely faultless performance -ly adv --ness n [U]
fault·y /'fɔ:lti/ adj (especially of machines, equipment etc) having faults; DEFECTIVE: a faulty connection in the electricat system | faulty reasoning -ily adv
faun /fɔ:n/ n an ancient Roman god of the fields and woods, with a man's body and a goat's horns and legs → compare SATYR
fau·na /'fɔ:nə/ n [C;U] all the animals living wild in a particular place or belonging to a particular age in history: the fauna of the forest → compare FLORA
Fauntleroy, Little Lord → see LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY
Fau·ré, Ga·bri·el /'fɒreɪ, 'fæʊreɪ, 'geɪbriəl/ (1845-1924) a French COMPOSER best known for his Requiem
Faust, Jo·hann /faʊst, 'jaʊhæn||-ha:n/ also Dr Faustus