orphan
n. countablen. a child whose parents have both died. In computing, it also describes a single line of text left alone at the top of a page.
n. a child whose parents are deceased. In a typographic or computing context, refers to the first line of a paragraph that appears alone at the bottom of a page, or the last line appearing alone at the top.
The young orphan was raised by his kind aunt.
After the war, the government established several new homes to care for every orphan in the region.
The software's layout engine automatically adjusts line spacing to ensure that no orphan is left at the top of a printed page, maintaining a professional aesthetic.
Late Middle English, from Late Latin orphanus, from Ancient Greek ὀρφανός (orphanós, “without parents, fatherless”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃órbʰos. PIE word *h₃órbʰos Cognate with Sanskrit अर्भ (árbha), Latin orbus (“orphaned”), Old High German erbi, arbi (German Erbe (“heir”)), Old English ierfa (“heir”). More at erf.
Commonly used in both literal social contexts and technical typographic settings.