adj · name · noun · verb · 17 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
dăd'i
General-American, Received-Pronunciation:/ˈdædi/
Received-Pronunciation:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ædi
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:D AE1 D IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Characteristic of or resembling a dad or father.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal, uncommon
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: fatherlike, fatherly, paternal
Antonyms: none provided
2
name
Meaning 2
One's father.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: childish, colloquial
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Also used as a term of address: a father; one's father.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: childish, informal, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Often in the form old daddy: a man or an organization regarded as having the qualities of a father, especially in being in a position of authority, or outdated or paternalistic.
Often in the form the daddy of: the most significant of a number of things; a perfect example.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, informal
Examples
the daddy of them all
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: archetype, byspel, case, case in point, embodiment, epitome, eponym, exemplar, exemplification, example, exemplificator, Exhibit A, illustration, incarnation, instance, paradigm, prototype, quintessence, representative, sample, specimen, symbol, ur-type
Antonyms: none provided
11
noun
Meaning 11
Often in the form old daddy: a man or an organization regarded as having the qualities of a father, especially in being in a position of authority, or outdated or paternalistic.
A male juvenile delinquent in a reformatory, or a male prisoner in a prison, who dominates other inmates through threats and violence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, informal, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
noun
Meaning 12
Often in the form old daddy: a man or an organization regarded as having the qualities of a father, especially in being in a position of authority, or outdated or paternalistic.
A man who gives away the bride at a wedding, in the absence of her actual father.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, informal, obsolete, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
13
noun
Meaning 13
Often in the form old daddy: a man or an organization regarded as having the qualities of a father, especially in being in a position of authority, or outdated or paternalistic.
A man in charge of a casual ward (“the section of a workhouse where itinerants and tramps could be accommodated for one night”), generally an elderly pauper.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, informal, obsolete, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
14
noun
Meaning 14
Often in the form old daddy: a man or an organization regarded as having the qualities of a father, especially in being in a position of authority, or outdated or paternalistic.
An accomplice selected to win the prize in a fraudulent lottery or raffle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, informal, obsolete, slang
Qualifier: crime
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
15
noun
Meaning 15
Often in the form old daddy: a man or an organization regarded as having the qualities of a father, especially in being in a position of authority, or outdated or paternalistic.
A stage manager.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, informal, obsolete, slang
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, theater
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
16
verb
Meaning 16
To father (a child); to beget, to sire.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Appalachia, informal, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
17
noun
Meaning 17
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: dad, dada, pa, papa, pappa, pop
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: father, male parent, begetter
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English dad Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English daddy From dad + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’).
Etymology tree English dad Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English daddy The noun is probably derived from dad (although this word is attested later) + -y (diminutive suffix). The verb is derived from the noun.
Across languages
Translations
124 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
babi
— (informal, usually childish) father
Arabic:
بَابَا
(bābā)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Armenian:
պապա
(papa)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Azerbaijani:
dədə
— (informal, usually childish) father
Belarusian:
ба́ця
(bácja)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Belarusian:
та́та
(táta)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Bulgarian:
та́тко
(tátko)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Chinese:
阿爸
(zh-min-nan)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Chinese:
阿爹
(zh-min-nan)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Chinese:
老爸
(zh-min-nan)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Chinese Mandarin:
爸爸
(bàba)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Chinese Mandarin:
爹
(diē)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Czech:
tatínek
— (informal, usually childish) father
Danish:
farmand
— (informal, usually childish) father
Dutch:
papa
— (informal, usually childish) father
Dutch:
pappa
— (informal, usually childish) father
Dutch:
pappie
— (informal, usually childish) father
Dutch:
vake
— (informal, usually childish) father
Esperanto:
paĉjo
— (informal, usually childish) father
Estonian:
issi
— (informal, usually childish) father
Estonian:
taat
— (informal, usually childish) father
Finnish:
isi
— (informal, usually childish) father
Finnish:
iskä
— (informal, usually childish) father
Finnish:
isukki
— (informal, usually childish) father
Finnish:
faija
— (informal, usually childish) father
Finnish:
fatsi
— (informal, usually childish) father
French:
papa
— (informal, usually childish) father
Georgian:
მამა
(mama)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Georgian:
მამიკო
(mamiḳo)
— (informal, usually childish) father
German:
Papa
— (informal, usually childish) father
German:
Papi
— (informal, usually childish) father
German:
Vati
— (informal, usually childish) father
Hebrew:
אַבָּא
(ába)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Hindi:
अब्बा
(abbā)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Hindi:
बाबा
(bābā)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Hindi:
बापू
(bāpū)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Hindi:
पिताजी
(pitājī)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Icelandic:
pabbi
— (informal, usually childish) father
Ido:
patreto
— (informal, usually childish) father
Irish:
daidí
— (informal, usually childish) father
Irish:
deaide
— (informal, usually childish) father
Italian:
babbo
— (informal, usually childish) father
Italian:
papà
— (informal, usually childish) father
Japanese:
お父さん
(otōsan)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Japanese:
パパ
(papa)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Korean:
아버지
(abeoji)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Korean:
아빠
(appa)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Central Kurdish:
بابە
(babe)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Central Kurdish:
باوکە
(bawke)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Latin:
tata
— (informal, usually childish) father
Latvian:
tētis
— (informal, usually childish) father
Lithuanian:
tėtis
— (informal, usually childish) father
Macedonian:
тате
(tate)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Macedonian:
тато
(tato)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Macedonian:
татко
(tatko)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Marathi:
बाबा
(bābā)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Marshallese:
baba
— (informal, usually childish) father
Navajo:
azhéʼé
— (informal, usually childish) father
Norwegian Bokmål:
pappa
— (informal, usually childish) father
Dari:
آتَه
(āta)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Dari:
آتَی
(āta)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Dari:
بَابَا
(bābā)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Iranian Persian:
بابا
(bâbâ)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Polish:
tata
— (informal, usually childish) father
Polish:
tato
— (informal, usually childish) father
Polish:
tatuś
— (informal, usually childish) father
Portuguese:
papá
— (informal, usually childish) father
Romanian:
tătic
— (informal, usually childish) father
Russian:
ба́тюшка
(bátjuška)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Russian:
па́па
(pápa)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Russian:
па́почка
(pápočka)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Russian:
тя́тя
(tjátja)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Sanskrit:
तात
(tāta)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Scottish Gaelic:
boban
— (informal, usually childish) father
Scottish Gaelic:
dadaidh
— (informal, usually childish) father
Slovak:
apko
— (informal, usually childish) father
Slovak:
apík
— (informal, usually childish) father
Slovak:
ocinko
— (informal, usually childish) father
Slovak:
ocko
— (informal, usually childish) father
Slovak:
otecko
— (informal, usually childish) father
Slovak:
tatík
— (informal, usually childish) father
Slovak:
tatko
— (informal, usually childish) father
Slovene:
očka
— (informal, usually childish) father
Spanish:
papá
— (informal, usually childish) father
Spanish:
papaíto
— (informal, usually childish) father
Spanish:
papito
— (informal, usually childish) father
Swedish:
pappa
— (informal, usually childish) father
Tagalog:
itay
— (informal, usually childish) father
Tagalog:
papa
— (informal, usually childish) father
Tagalog:
tatay
— (informal, usually childish) father
Tajik:
дада
(dada)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Tajik:
дадо
(dado)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Taos:
tǫ̂mʼȕ
— (informal, usually childish) father
Thai:
ป๊า
(bpáa)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Thai:
ป๋า
(bpǎa)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Thai:
คุณพ่อ
(kun pɔ̂ɔ)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Thai:
พ่อ
(pɔ̂ɔ)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Turkish:
baba
— (informal, usually childish) father
Ukrainian:
та́то
(táto)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Ukrainian:
тату́сь
(tatúsʹ)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Urdu:
اَبّا
(abbā)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Urdu:
بابا
(bābā)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Urdu:
باپ
(bāp)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Urdu:
دادا
(dādā)
— (informal, usually childish) father
Vietnamese:
ba
— (informal, usually childish) father
Vietnamese:
bố
— (informal, usually childish) father
Vietnamese:
cha
— (informal, usually childish) father
Vietnamese:
thầy
— (informal, usually childish) father
Vietnamese:
tía
— (informal, usually childish) father
Volapük:
fatül
— (informal, usually childish) father
Yoruba:
baba
— (informal, usually childish) father
Finnish:
isukki
— man who is not one’s father, often but not necessarily older than oneself
Finnish:
setä
— man who is not one’s father, often but not necessarily older than oneself
Finnish:
isukki
— (BDSM) dominant male sexual partner
Japanese:
お兄ちゃん
(Onīchan)
— (BDSM) dominant male sexual partner
Latvian:
papucītis
— (BDSM) dominant male sexual partner
Navajo:
azhéʼé
— (BDSM) dominant male sexual partner
Spanish:
papi
— (BDSM) dominant male sexual partner
Spanish:
papito
— (BDSM) dominant male sexual partner
Finnish:
isukki
— (LGBTQ slang) older masculine sexual partner, especially one who is more sexually dominant
Finnish:
isukki
— (originally prison slang) dominant partner in a homosexual relationship; especially one who provides protection to a more vulnerable inmate
Finnish:
isukki
— woman’s (often older) male lover
Finnish:
isä
— man or organization regarded as having the qualities of a father
Finnish:
isukki
— male juvenile delinquent in a reformatory, or a male prisoner in a prison, who dominates other inmates
