Orphan

An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition, defines the term: “One deprived by death of father or mother, or (usu.) of both; a fatherless or motherless child.” In some languages, such as Swedish, the term is “parentless” and more ambiguous about whether the parents are dead, unknown or absconded, but typically refers to a child or younger adult.