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

Her daughter, Meera Varma, is recovering in a hospital.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

On the inspiration for the cover, he said: "I heard it so much around my house because my youngest daughter loves Billie. I really love that song."

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

Mano’s survivors include his daughter, Julia, and his brother, Mark.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Shortly before the judge approved the revised bankruptcy plan, Jannotta appeared via video call in November to address the court, delivering a statement that her daughter, Susan Ousterman, helped craft.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026

Until then, I had simply been her child, her daughter, and she my mother.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Related Words

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