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Widow vs Orphan - What's the difference?

widow | orphan |

In transitive terms the difference between widow and orphan

is that widow is to make a widow (or widower) of someone; to cause the death of one's spouse while orphan is to deprive of parents (used almost exclusively in the passive.

As an adjective orphan is

deprived of parents (also {{term|orphaned}}).

widow

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A woman whose husband has died (and who has not remarried); feminine of widower.
  • (informal, in combination) A woman whose husband is often away pursuing a sport, etc.
  • * 1988', Emily Parry, " For a Bowling '''Widow , a Split Isn't Just Two Lonely Pins," ''New York Times , 27 Nov.,
    • I had been feeling like a bowling-alley widow , but knew he loved the game, so I suggested we join a mixed league.
  • An additional hand of cards dealt face down in some card games, to be used by the highest bidder.
  • (printing) A single line of type that ends a paragraph, carried over to the next page or column.
  • A venomous spider, of the genus Latrodectus .

    • Related terms

    * widower * widowhood

    Derived terms

    * black widow * golf widow * grass widow * widow bird * widow-maker

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make a widow (or widower) of someone; to cause the death of one's spouse.
    • English transitive verbs

    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 .