dad

dad · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    One's father; an informal term for a male parent.

  2. 2.

    Used as a form of address for one's father.

Forms

plural: dads

Related words

Antonyms: mom, mother
See also: daddy, father, papa
Synonyms: father, pa, papa, pop

Etymology

First recorded in the early 16th century, dad is believed to originate from childish or infant speech, mimicking the sounds made by babies when learning to speak. The reduplicative dada appears in many languages as an early word for father.