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

That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of ‘Rust,’ especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter.”

From Salon

In a statement issued by her lawyer she said she regards the premiere as an attempt to profit from her daughter’s death.

From BBC

Lucy and Matt Roberts paid £300 for 10 sessions for their seven-year-old daughter Willow, who “lives and breathes” football but sometimes lacked confidence.

From BBC

No one would be questioning their efforts if they were searching for their daughter instead of a dog, she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Murray, who shares three kids — a son and two daughters — with wife Sarah Roemer, has different priorities now.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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