l’orfano

Definition & meaning

Orfano means orphan: a person, especially a child, whose mother, father, or both parents have died.

As an adjective, it means orphaned or bereft of something important, such as a leader or source of support.

Grammar & Word origin

• Noun: masculine singular orfano; feminine orfana; plurals orfani and orfane.
• Adjective: agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes.
• From Latin orphanus, ultimately from Greek orphanos, meaning “bereft” or “orphaned.”

Synonyms & antonyms

• Synonym: orfanello ↗ means “little orphan” and emphasizes youth or evokes sympathy.
• Figurative synonym: privo ↗ means “deprived of” or “lacking”; it is broader and does not necessarily imply the loss of a parent.
• There is no common single-word antonym for an orphan.

Common phrases & collocations

• orfano di madre ↗ — a person whose mother has died.
• orfano di padre ↗ — a person whose father has died.
• orfano di entrambi i genitori ↗ — a person who has lost both parents.