a term of relation denoting a person who hath begot a child. See PARENT and CHILD.

By the laws of Romulus, a father had an unlimited power over his children. Amongst the Lacedemonians, as we learn from Aristotle's politics, the father of three children was excused from the duty of mounting guard for the security of the city; and a father of four children, was exempted from every public burden. The Poppean law, amongst the Romans, granted many valuable privileges to the fathers of three children; amongst which one was, that he should be excused from civil offices, and that the mother should have liberty, in her father's life-time, to make a will, and manage her estate without the authority of tutors.

Natural FATHER, is he who has illegitimate children. See BASTARD; and LAW, No. clxi. 33. clxxvii. 3, 4.

Adoptive FATHER, is he who takes the children of some other, and acknowledges them as his own. See ADOPTION.

Putative FATHER, is he who is only the reputed or supposed father. Joseph was putative father of our Saviour.

FATHER-IN-LAW, is a person married to a woman who has children by a former husband, &c., to which children he is said to be a father-in-law.

FATHER is also used in theology for the first Person in the Trinity.

FATHER is also used in a figurative sense on divers moral and spiritual occasions. Thus, it is applied to the patriarchs; as we say Adam was the father of all mankind, Abraham the father of the faithful, &c.

in church-history, is applied to ancient authors who have preserved in their writings the traditions of the church. Thus St Chrysostom, St Basil, &c., are called Greek fathers, and St Augustine and St Ambrose Latin fathers. No author who wrote later than the 12th century is dignified with the title of Father.

is also a title of honour given to prelates and dignitaries of the church, to the superiors of convents, to congregations of ecclesiastics, and to persons venerable for their age or quality. Thus we say, the right reverend father in God, the father-general of the Benedictines, the fathers of the council of Nice, father of his country, &c.