| father | 1. One who has begotten a child, whether son or daughter; a generator; a male parent. "A wise son maketh a glad father." (Prov. X. 1) 2. A male ancestor more remote than a parent; a progenitor; especially, a first ancestor; a founder of a race or family; in the plural, fathers, ancestors. "David slept with his fathers." (1 Kings II. 10) "Abraham, who is the father of us all." (Rom. Iv. 16) 3. One who performs the offices of a parent by maintenance, affetionate care, counsel, or protection. "I was a father to the poor." (Job xxix. 16) "He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house." (Gen. Xiv. 8) 4. A respectful mode of address to an old man. "And Joash the king og Israel came down unto him [Elisha], . . . And said, O my father, my father!" (2 Kings xiii. 14) 5. A senator of ancient Rome. 6. A dignitary of the church, a superior of a convent, a confessor (called also father confessor), or a priest; also, the eldest member of a profession, or of a legislative assembly, etc. "Bless you, good father friar !" (Shak) 7. One of the chief esslesiastical authorities of the first centuries after Christ; often spoken of collectively as the Fathers; as, the Latin, Greek, or apostolic Fathers. 8. One who, or that which, gives origin; an originator; a producer, author, or contriver; the first to practice any art, profession, or occupation; a distinguished example or teacher. "The father of all such as handle the harp and organ." (Gen. Iv. 21) "Might be the father, Harry, to that thought." (Shak) "The father of good news." (Shak) 9. The Supreme Being and Creator; God; in theology, the first person in the Trinity. "Our Father, which art in heaven." (Matt. Vi. 9) "Now had the almighty Father from above . . . Bent down his eye." (Milton) Adoptive father, one who adopts the child of another, treating it as his own. Apostolic father, Conscript fathers, etc. See Apostolic, Conscript, etc. Father in God, a title given to bishops. Father of lies, the Devil. Father of the bar, the oldest practitioner at the bar. Fathers of the city, the aldermen. Father of the Faithful. Abraham. Mohammed, or one of the sultans, his successors. Father of the house, the member of a legislative body who has had the longest continuous service. most Reverend Father in God, a title given to archbishops and metropolitans, as to the archbishops of Canterbury and York. Natural father, the father of an illegitimate child. Putative father, one who is presumed to be the father of an illegitimate child; the supposed father. Spiritual father. A religious teacher or guide, especially. One instrumental in leading a soul to God. The pope. Origin: OE. Fader, AS. Faeder; akin to OS. Fadar, D. Vader, OHG. Fatar, G. Vater, Icel. Fair Sw. & Dan. Fader, OIr. Athir, L. Pater, Gr, Skr. Pitr, perh. Fr. Skr. Pa protect,. Cf. Papa, Paternal, Patriot, Potential, Pablum. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| father complex | Female counterpart of the Oedipus complex in the male; a term used to describe unresolved conflicts during childhood development toward the father which subsequently influence a woman's relationships with men. Synonym: father complex. Origin: Electra, daughter of Agamemnon (05 Mar 2000) |
| father longlegs | <zoology> See Daddy longlegs. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| father-child relations | Interaction between the father and the child. (12 Dec 1998) |
| father-in-law | The father of one's husband or wife; correlative to son-in-law and daughter-in-law. A man who marries a woman having children already, is sometimes, though erroneously, called their father-in-law. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| father-lasher | <zoology> A European marine fish (Cottus bubalis), allied to the sculpin. Synonym: lucky proach. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| fathers | Male parents, human or animal. (12 Dec 1998) |
| fathomable | Capable of being fathomed. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| fatigability | A condition in which fatigue is easily induced. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fatigable | Tiring on very slight exertion. Origin: L. Fatigabilis, easily tired, fr. Fatigo, to tire (05 Mar 2000) |
| fatigue | That state, following a period of mental or bodily activity, characterised by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency of accomplishment, usually accompanied by a feeling of weariness, sleepiness, or irritability. (12 Dec 1998) |
| fatigue fever | An elevation of the body temperature, lasting sometimes several days, following excessive and long continued muscular exertion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fatigue fracture | Fracture that occurs in bone subject to repeated or unusual subliminal, endogenous stress, most often transverse in configuration. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fatigue strength | The stress level below which a particular component will survive an indefinite number of load cycles (typically about 50% of the ultimate strength of the component). (05 Mar 2000) |
| fatigue syndrome, chronic | Syndrome of unknown cause, characterised by clinically evaluated, unexplained persistent or relapsing chronic fatigue of at least six months' duration which is not the result of ongoing exertion; is not substantially alleviated by rest; and results in substantial reduction of previous levels of occupational, educational, social, or personal activities. Common concurrent symptoms (of six months duration) include impairment of memory or concentration, diffuse pain, sore throat, tender lymph nodes, headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity, and unrefreshing sleep. The aetiology is suspected to be viral or immunologic. There are suggestions that chronic fatigue syndrome (sometimes called myalgic encephalomyelitis) may be identical to neurasthenia and fibromyalgia. (12 Dec 1998) |
| yellow fat cell | <pathology> An adipocyte that has asingle big fat droplet and very little cytoplasm. (11 May 1997) |
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| familial fat-induced hyperlipaemia | Hyperlipoproteinaemia characterised by the presence of large amounts of chylomicrons and triglycerides in the plasma when the patient has a normal diet, and their disappearance on a fat-free diet; low alpha-and beta-lipoproteins on a normal diet, with increase on fat-free diet; decreased plasma postheparin lipolytic activity; and low tissue lipoprotein lipase activity. It is accompanied by bouts of abdominal pain, hepatosplenomegaly, pancreatitis, and eruptive xanthomas; autosomal recessive inheritance. See: familial lipoprotein lipase inhibitor. Synonym: Burger-Grutz syndrome, familial fat-induced hyperlipaemia, familial hyperchylomicronaemia, familial hypertriglyceridemia, idiopathic hyperlipaemia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| unilocular fat | Adipose tissue in which the fat is present in a single droplet within the fat cells. Synonym: white fat. (05 Mar 2000) |
| unsaturated fat | <biochemistry> A fat that contains a carbon-carbon double bond, or a fat containing unsaturated fatty acids, such a fatty acid has double or triple covalent bonds and is thus able to add more atoms. Unsaturated fats are believed to lower blood cholesterol levels and are found at high levels in vegetable oils (olive oil, safflower oil, etc.) As a general rule, unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. (09 Oct 1997) |
| low-fat diet | A diet containing minimal amounts of fat.Diets containing low amounts of fat and cholesterol are designed to reduce the risk of heart disease and, in some cases, cancer. Dozens of such diets have been promulgated, both by medical and lay advisors. Their popularity can be attributed in part to clinical studies that have, since the 1980s, revealed, on the one hand, the hazards of eating high-fat, high-cholesterol foods and, on the other, the benefits of ingesting less saturated fat and LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol. Although coronary deaths have been reduced by roughly 30% since 1970, the aim of health officials is to further reduce heart attack rates. The average cholesterol level among adult Americans has fallen from 213 to 205 mg/dl since 1978. However, the National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that individuals maintain a total cholesterol level of no more than 200 mg/dl, with LDL at less than 130 mg/dl and HDL (high density lipoprotein) around 60 mg/dl. About one-half of American adults exceed those recommendations. Low-fat, low-cholesterol diets are rich in whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and legumes, and limit or exclude consumption of processed oils, dairy products, nuts and seeds, and meats. See atherosclerosis, free radicals. (05 Mar 2000) |