foster-father

3.5

A man who looks after a child who is not his own

noun
/ˈfɔstər ˈfɑðər/

: padre de crianza

His foster-father always encouraged him to pursue his dreams, just like a real parent would.

Examples

The agency carefully matched each child with a suitable foster-father and foster mother.
After his father's death, Tom was raised by a compassionate foster-father.
My foster-father has always supported me.
He became a foster-father last year.
After his father's death, Tom was raised by a compassionate foster-father.
His foster-father always encouraged him to pursue his dreams, just like a real parent would.
The agency carefully matched each child with a suitable foster-father and foster mother.

Synonyms

foster father

vsfoster-father

5 3.2

A man who cares for and raises a child when the parents cannot

is placed through an official caregiving program rather than informal care

foster-parent

vsfoster-father

1 3.5

A person who cares for a child temporarily in their home but is not the child's legal or birth parent

refers specifically to a man rather than any type of caregiver

Surface Forms

foster-father singular

foster-fathers plural

Morphology

foster-father = foster + father (transparent) = foster + father

The meaning is directly derived from the combination of 'foster' (care for a non-biological child) and 'father' (male parent), so learners who know the components can infer the sense.

Etymology

Foster-father combines foster and father: foster comes from an old English word for someone who 'feeds' or 'raises' a child, and father means a male parent. So a foster-father is a man who cares for and brings up a child who is not his own.