Natural History

Father

A father, dad, or daddy, is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his child or children, fathers may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with their child or children that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological father is the male genetic contributor to the creation of the child, through sexual intercourse or sperm donation. A biological father may have legal obligations to a child not raised by him, such as an obligation of monetary support. A putative father is a man whose biological relationship to a child is alleged but has not been established. A stepfather is a non-biological male parent married to a child's parent and forms a family unit but generally does not have the legal rights and responsibilities of a parent in relation to the child. An adoptive father is a man who has become the child's parent through the legal process of adoption. The adjective "paternal" refers to a father and comparatively to "maternal" for a mother. The verb "to father" means to procreate or to sire a child from which also derives the noun "fathering". Biological fathers determine the sex of their child through a sperm cell which either contains an X chromosome (female), or Y chromosome (male). Related terms of endearment are dad (dada, daddy), baba, papa, pappa, papasita, (pa, pap) and pop. A male role model that children can look up to is sometimes referred to as a father-figure.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Eurasian griffon vulture
• ▸Girolamo Frescobaldi
• ▸Azara's night monkey

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