Meanings
nounorphanage (countable and uncountable, plural orphanages)
plural orphanages
- countableuncountableA residential institution for the care and protection of orphans.
Near-synonym: children's home (not always different)
Synonyms: orphanarium, children's home
- countableobsoleteuncountableOrphanhood; the state of being an orphan.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA residential institution for the care and protection of orphans.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Attested since the 1570s; orphan + -age.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek βρεφοτροφεῖον, ὀρφανοτροφεῖον
- βρεφοτροφεῖον (brephotropheîon)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- ὀρφανοτροφεῖον (orphanotropheîon)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Arabic دَار الْأَيْتَام, مَيْتَم
- دَار الْأَيْتَام (dār al-ʔaytām)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- مَيْتَم (maytam)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Basque umezurztegi
- umezurztegia residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Bengali এতিমখানা
- এতিমখানা (etimkhana)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Bulgarian сиропита́лище
- сиропита́лище (siropitálište)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Catalan orfenat
- orfenata residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Chinese Cantonese 孤兒院 /孤儿院
- 孤兒院 /孤儿院a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Chinese Mandarin 孤兒院 /孤儿院, 保育院
- 孤兒院 /孤儿院 (gū'éryuàn)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- 保育院 (bǎoyùyuàn)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- 兒童福利院 /儿童福利院 (értóng fúlìyuàn)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- 育幼院 (yùyòuyuàn)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Czech sirotčinec, dětský dům
- sirotčineca residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- dětský důma residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Danish børnehjem
- børnehjema residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Dutch weeshuis, kindertehuis
- weeshuisa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- kindertehuisa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Esperanto orfejo
- orfejoa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Estonian lastekodu
- lastekodua residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Finnish orpokoti, lastenkoti
- orpokotia residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- lastenkotia residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
French orphelinat, maison d'enfants
- orphelinata residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- maison d'enfantsa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
German Waisenhaus, Kinderheim
- Waisenhausa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- Kinderheima residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Greek ορφανοτροφείο
- ορφανοτροφείο (orfanotrofeío)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Hebrew בֵּית יְתוֹמִים
- בֵּית יְתוֹמִים (béit yetomím)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Hindi अनाथाश्रम, अनाथालय
- अनाथाश्रम (anāthāśram)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- अनाथालय (anāthālay)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- यतीमख़ाना (yatīmxānā)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Hungarian árvaház
- árvaháza residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Icelandic munaðarleysingjahæli
- munaðarleysingjahælia residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Indonesian panti asuhan
- panti asuhana residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Irish dílleachtlann
- dílleachtlanna residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Italian orfanotrofio
- orfanotrofioa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Japanese 孤児院
- 孤児院 (kojiin)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Korean 고아원, 보육원
- 고아원 (goawon)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- 보육원 (boyugwon)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Latin orphanotrophium
- orphanotrophiuma residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Latvian bērnu nams
- bērnu namsa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Lithuanian našlaičių prieglauda
- našlaičių prieglaudaa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Māori wharepani
- wharepania residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Norwegian Bokmål barnehjem
- barnehjema residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Persian یَتیمخانِه, پَرْوَرِشْگاه
- یَتیمخانِه (yatim-xâne)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- پَرْوَرِشْگاه (parvarešgâh)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Polish sierociniec, dom dziecka
- sierocinieca residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- dom dzieckaa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- bidula residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Portuguese orfanato
- orfanatoa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Romanian orfelinat
- orfelinata residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Russian де́тский дом, детдо́м
- де́тский дом (détskij dom)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- детдо́м (detdóm)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- прию́т для сиро́т (prijút dlja sirót)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- прию́т (prijút)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- сиро́тский прию́т (sirótskij prijút)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Slovak detský domov, sirotinec
- detský domova residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- sirotineca residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Spanish orfanato, casa cuna
- orfanatoa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- casa cunaa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- hospicioa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- orfelinatoa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- orfanatorioa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- casa de expósitosa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- inclusaa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Swedish barnhem
- barnhema residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Tagalog bahay-ampunan
- bahay-ampunana residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Thai บ้านเด็กกำพร้า, สถานเลี้ยงเด็กกำพร้า
- บ้านเด็กกำพร้า (bâan-dèk-gam-práa)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- สถานเลี้ยงเด็กกำพร้าa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- สถานรับเลี้ยงเด็กกำพร้าa residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Turkish yetimhane
- yetimhanea residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Ukrainian дитя́чий буди́нок, сироти́нець
- дитя́чий буди́нок (dytjáčyj budýnok)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- сироти́нець (syrotýnecʹ)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Urdu یَتِیم خانَہ, اَناتھ آشْرَم
- یَتِیم خانَہ (yatīm xāna)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- اَناتھ آشْرَم (anāth āśram)a residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Vietnamese trại trẻ mồ côi, cô nhi viện
- trại trẻ mồ côia residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
- cô nhi việna residential institution for the care and protection of orphans
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
orphanage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orphanage
MLA
“orphanage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orphanage. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “orphanage,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orphanage.
Source: orphanage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.