daughter
- 01 A1 Beginner
your female child.
a female offspring in relation to her parents.
Simple“They have two sons and one daughter who just started university.”
In context“The couple took great pride in their daughter's academic achievements, especially when she was awarded a full scholarship to study medicine.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
something that is produced from a starting substance, like in radioactive decay.
an atom or nuclide formed by the radioactive decay of another atom.
Simple“The scientists measured the amount of the daughter element to find the age of the rock.”
In context“By calculating the ratio between the parent isotope and its daughter product, geologists can determine the precise age of volcanic strata.”
UsageOften used as a modifier, as in 'daughter cell' or 'daughter isotope'.
- 03 C1 Advanced
a language that developed from an older language.
a language that descends from a common ancestor through a process of genetic relationship.
Simple“French and Italian are daughter languages of Latin.”
In context“Historical linguists track phonological shifts to demonstrate how various daughter languages diverged from their Proto-Indo-European ancestor.”
SynonymsAntonymsparent language - 04 C2 Proficiency
a way for an older person to speak to a younger woman.
a familiar or patronising form of address to a female person from an older or authoritative figure.
Simple“Don't you worry about that, daughter, it will all be fine.”
In context“The old shopkeeper's habit of addressing every female customer as 'daughter' was seen by some as charming and by others as patronising.”
Teacher's tipThis usage can be perceived as condescending or sexist in modern professional contexts; it is best avoided by learners.
From Middle English doghter, doughter, from Old English dohtor (“daughter”), from Proto-West Germanic dohter, from Proto-Germanic duhtēr, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰugh₂tḗr.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.