daughter

American  

[daw-ter] / ˈdɔ tər /

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.

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adjective

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

   daughter cell; daughter DNA.

daughter British  

/ 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

   a daughter of the church

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

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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

Other Word Forms

• daughter-like adjective
• daughterhood noun
• daughterless adjective
• daughterlike adjective
• daughterliness noun
• daughterly adjective

Etymology

Origin of daughter

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

Explanation

A daughter is a female offspring, and while it is usually referring to the female child's relationship to her parents, it might be used to suggest any similar relationship, such as the organization “Daughters of the American Revolution.” The English word daughter appeared before the Tenth Century as the Old English dohtor and later the Middle English doughter. Any connected group of women might be referred to as "daughters," For example, the "daughters of Zion" of the Bible and the "Daughters of Elysium" in Beethoven’s "Ode to Joy" closing to his Ninth Symphony. If people say you are your mother's daughter, aside from pointing out the obvious they are saying the two of you have a lot in common.

Example Sentences

He's settled in his family life too, having married model Holly Ramsay, the daughter of TV chef Gordon, in December.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Jefferson grieved deeply over the loss of his wife, the death in childhood of four of their six children, and the later loss of a daughter at only 25.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

NHS healthcare assistant Rebecca Ableman, 30, was walking with her two-year-old daughter Autumn on a pavement by the B1050 in Willingham, Cambridgeshire, when she was hit from behind on 22 September 2022.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Rivera, who lives in South Gate, has a 6-year-old daughter who is autistic and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a 16-year-old son who is autistic and nonverbal.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

But when Sarah reached forward to help her baby daughter up, the circle was broken, and Leila disappeared.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

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