fatherless
父親のいない
解説 Definition
父親のいない、父なしの
Fatherless means not having a father, usually because the father has died, left, or is unknown. It is often used to describe a child or family situation. The word can sound emotional or literary, so people sometimes choose more neutral phrases in everyday speech.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
father＋-less で直訳どおり「父がいない」。まず -less を「〜が欠けた」と覚えると、homeless, careless, hopeless なども同じ型でまとめて記憶できます。fatherless は単に事実を述べるだけでなく、家庭環境や生い立ちを語る少し重い文脈でも出やすい語です。motherless と対比すると意味がぶれません。逆に fatherly は「父親らしい」なので形は近くても方向が正反対、とセットで区別すると定着します。
Break it into `father` + `-less`. The ending `-less` means "without," as in `homeless`, `careless`, and `hopeless`. You can remember it by comparing it with `motherless`, and keeping it separate from `fatherly`, which means father-like.
例文
Growing up fatherless was difficult, but his mother provided strong support.
父親のいない環境で育つのは大変でしたが、母親がしっかり支えてくれました。
Many fatherless children face unique challenges in their development.
多くの父親のいない子どもたちは、成長過程で特有の課題に直面しています。
He was fatherless and was raised by his grandmother.
彼は父親がおらず、祖母に育てられました。
fatherless の類義語・関連語
fatherless の語源・成り立ち Etymology
「fatherless」は古英語由来の father と、同じく古英語の接尾辞 -less「…のない」から成る語です。分解すると文字どおり「父がいない」で、motherless や homeless と同じ仕組みだと分かると、欠如をまっすぐ示す英語らしい語形成が見えてきます。
"Fatherless" is built from Old English father and the suffix -less, also from Old English, meaning "without." Its literal sense was simply "without a father," formed in the same direct way as words like motherless and homeless. The word has kept that clear idea of absence with little change over time.
外部辞書で調べる
この単語を英単語クイズで覚えよう