daughter

[ daw-ter ]

noun

1. a female child or person in relation to her parents.
2. any female descendant.
3. a person related as if by the ties binding daughter to parent:

   daughter of the church.

4. anything personified as female and considered with respect to its origin:

   The United States is the daughter of the 13 colonies.

5. Chemistry, Physics. an isotope formed by radioactive decay of another isotope.

adjective

1. Biology. pertaining to a cell or other structure arising from division or replication:

   daughter cell; daughter DNA.

daughter

/ ˈdɔːtə /

noun

1. a female offspring; a girl or woman in relation to her parents
2. a female descendant
3. a female from a certain country, etc, or one closely connected with a certain environment, etc filial

   a daughter of the church

4. archaic.
   often capital a form of address for a girl or woman

adjective

1. biology denoting a cell or unicellular organism produced by the division of one of its own kind
2. physics (of a nuclide) formed from another nuclide by radioactive decay

Derived Forms

• ˈdaughterly, adjective
• ˈdaughterliness, noun
• ˈdaughterhood, noun
• ˈdaughter-ˌlike, adjective
• ˈdaughterless, adjective

Other Words From

• daughter·less adjective
• daughter·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of daughter¹

before 950; Middle English doughter, Old English dohtor; cognate with German Tochter, Greek thygátēr, Sanskrit duhitā

Word History and Origins

Origin of daughter¹

Old English dohtor; related to Old High German tohter daughter, Greek thugatēr, Sanskrit duhitá

Example Sentences

In his first interview, Jack Gilbert said he uncovered what he considered questionable practices and believes Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter was partly motivated by self-interest.

From BBC

The girl’s mother, who has two other children, was arrested in February 2021 after a urine test on her daughter showed the presence of ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug, which had not been prescribed.

From BBC

Chris and Sue admitted their daughter had failed to attend school, missing 12 days between 4 March and 3 May.

From BBC

Hoping for an end to the war with Israel, many Lebanese are putting their faith in a Lebanese American billionaire whose son is married to Trump’s daughter Tiffany.

From Los Angeles Times

Then let them know that you care more about their wives, daughters and mothers than they do and that you’re stepping in to shield them from all that rage.

From Salon

Related Words

• child
• descendant
• female offspring
• girl
• kid
• offspring