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Orphan vs Foster - What's the difference?

orphan | foster |

In transitive terms the difference between orphan and foster

is that orphan is to deprive of parents (used almost exclusively in the passive while foster is to nurse or cherish something.

As a proper noun Foster is

{{surname|A=An|English|from=occupations}}, variant of Forster.

orphan

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A person, especially a , both or (rarely) one of whose parents have died.
  • * '>citation
  • A young animal with no mother.
  • (figuratively) Anything that is unsupported, as by its source, provider or caretaker, by reason of the supporter's or decision to abandon.
  • (typography) A single line of type, beginning a paragraph, at the bottom of a column or page.
  • (computing) Any unreferenced object.

    • Derived terms

    * orphanage * orphancy * orphandom * orphanhood * orphaner * orphanet * orphan initialism * orphanism * orphanity * orphanize * orphanotropism * orphanry * orphanship * orphany

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Deprived of parents (also (orphaned)).
    • She is an orphan child.
  • (by extension, figuratively) Remaining after the removal of some form of support.
    • With its government funding curtailed, the gun registry became an orphan program.

    Related terms

    * orphan drug

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To deprive of parents (used almost exclusively in the passive )
    • What do you do when you come across two orphaned polar bear cubs?
  • (computing) To make unavailable, as by removing the last remaining pointer or reference to.
    • When you removed that image tag, you orphaned the resized icon.
    Removing categories orphans pages from the main category tree.

    References

    * " orphan" at OneLook® Dictionary Search .

    foster

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Providing parental care to unrelated children.
  • Receiving such care
  • Related by such care

    • Noun

  • (countable, obsolete) A forester
  • (uncountable) The care given to another; guardianship

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To nurture or bring up offspring; or to provide similar parental care to an unrelated child.
  • To cultivate and grow something.
    • Our company fosters an appreciation for the arts.
  • To nurse or cherish something.
  • (obsolete) To be nurtured or trained up together.
    • (Spenser)

    Antonyms

    * (cultivate and grow) hinder

    Derived terms

    * fosterable * fosterage * foster-child, foster child * fosterer * foster home * fosterhood * fostering * fosterment * foster parent

    Anagrams

    * * * * ----