What does daughter mean?
A daughter is a person's female child in relation to the parents, making the word one of the most fundamental kinship terms in English. Beyond its literal family sense, 'daughter' extends naturally into figurative territory: a woman may be described as a daughter of her homeland, her church, or a particular historical moment, signaling deep origin or belonging. In technical registers, the word describes things produced by or descended from something else — linguists speak of daughter languages evolving from a parent tongue, biologists of daughter cells arising from division, and businesses of daughter companies owned by a parent firm. The term is entirely neutral in tone and appears across all levels of formality. Its emotional weight is considerable: daughters feature centrally in literature, law, and everyday conversation about family life. Related compounds such as granddaughter, goddaughter, and stepdaughter show how deeply embedded the word is in the way English organizes human relationships.
A person's female child in relation to their parents.
"They have two children: a son and a daughter."
Standard in all registers; the plural is 'daughters'.
A woman regarded as originating from or belonging to a particular place, group, tradition, or era.
"She was every inch a daughter of the old South."
Something produced by or descending from something else, as in a daughter language, daughter cell, or daughter company.
"French and Spanish are daughter languages of Latin."
Regular plural; used identically in British and American English.
"All three of their daughters went to university."
The word 'daughter' is a linguistic time capsule: its cousins survive in Sanskrit 'duhitar' and ancient Greek 'thygater', making it one of the oldest words in the entire English vocabulary.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of daughter
'Daughter' derives from Old English 'dohtor', which descends from Proto-Germanic '*dukhtriz' and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root '*dʰugh₂tēr'. This makes it an extraordinarily ancient word, with direct cognates including Sanskrit 'duhitár' and Ancient Greek 'thygátēr', all meaning the same thing. The spelling and pronunciation shifted gradually through Middle English before settling into its modern form.
Related word forms
How daughter is actually used
'Daughter' is neutral in register and used in all contexts, formal and informal. In figurative uses ('daughter of the revolution'), it carries a slightly literary or elevated tone. The plural is simply 'daughters'.