Definition of "orphan" []

• A child whose parents are dead. (noun)
• A child who has been deprived of parental care and has not been adopted. (noun)
• A young animal without a mother. (noun)
• One that lacks support, supervision, or care: A lack of corporate interest has made the subsidiary an orphan. (noun)
• An orphan technology or product. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "She clenched her teeth and grimaced as if pronouncing the word orphan filled her mouth with castor oil."
• "It matters because the term orphan carries enormous emotional weight."
• "He was so sweet, but I was afraid that the moment he heard the word orphan, he would back away and pretend he never knew me."