daughter
DAW-tuh
Daughter (noun) means a person's female child. Example: “My daughter is learning to ride a bike without stabilisers.”
noun
1
A person's female child.
"My daughter is learning to ride a bike without stabilisers."
"Their daughter just started her first year of university."
"He walked his daughter down the aisle at her wedding."
2
A language or product that descended or developed from an earlier one.
"Many modern dialects are daughters of an older language that is no longer spoken."
"French is a daughter of Latin, so many of its words look familiar."
"Spanish and Italian are both daughter languages of Latin."
How to use daughter
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA female child, or by extension something that "descends" from something older.
Common pairings
his daughter
a daughter language
daughter cells
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Word forms
- Plural
- daughters, daughtren
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My _____ is learning to ride a bike without stabilisers.
Etymology
From Old English dohtor, an ancient word going all the way back to Proto-Indo-European — related to similar words in German (Tochter), Dutch, and many other Indo-European languages.
Related words
Rhymes for daughter
See all rhymes for daughter →Frequently asked questions
What does “daughter” mean?
The word “daughter” means a person's female child. In plain terms, a female child, or by extension something that "descends" from something older.
How do you pronounce “daughter”?
“Daughter” is pronounced DAW-tuh (/ˈdɔ.tɚ/ in IPA).
How do you use “daughter” in a sentence?
Here is “daughter” used in a sentence: “Their daughter just started her first year of university.”
What is the opposite of “daughter”?
The opposite of “daughter” — its antonyms — are son, mother, father and parent.
What part of speech is “daughter”?
“Daughter” is a noun.
Where does the word “daughter” come from?
The word “daughter” comes from Old English. From Old English dohtor, an ancient word going all the way back to Proto-Indo-European — related to similar words in German (Tochter), Dutch, and many other Indo-European languages.
Is “daughter” a common word?
“Daughter” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “daughter” have?
“Daughter” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a person's female child.
What is the difference between a daughter and a son?
A daughter is a person's female child, while a son is their male child. The two words are identical in every way except gender: both refer to someone's offspring regardless of age. Whether newborn or elderly, a female child remains her parents' daughter throughout life.
What is a daughter-in-law?
A daughter-in-law is the wife of your son. The term describes a relationship created by marriage rather than by birth, so she is not your own child but joins the family through her marriage. The reverse relationship, your daughter's husband, is your son-in-law.
Does 'daughter' only refer to a young girl?
No. A daughter is a female child of any age, defined by the parent-child relationship rather than by youth. A woman in her seventies is still the daughter of her parents. The word marks family lineage, not a stage of life, so it never expires with age.
What is the plural of daughter?
The plural is 'daughters', formed simply by adding an -s. It is used whenever referring to two or more female children, as in 'they have three daughters'. There is no irregular form, so the word follows the standard English pattern for making nouns plural.
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