F'ATHER, n. L. pater. The primary sense is obvious.
1. He who begets a child in L. genitor or generator.
The father of a fool hath no joy. Proverbs 17 .
2. The first ancestor the progenitor of a race or family. Adam was the father of the human race. Abraham was the father of the Israelites.
3. The appellation of an old man, and a term of respect.
The king of Israel said to Elisha, my father shall I smite them? 2 Kings 6 .
The servants of Naaman call him father. Elderly men are called fathers as the fathers of a town or city. In the church, men venerable for age, learning and piety are called fathers, or reverend fathers.
4. The grandfather or more remote ancestor. Nebuchadnezzar is called the father of Belshazzar, though he was his grandfather. Daniel 5 .