A Way with Words A Way with Words

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whats the word for
2012/11/02
3:00am
Neiloy George
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I guess we've all heard this quote, or variations of it.

 

we call the person who has lost his father an orphan, and a widower that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense unhappiness of losing a friend. What do we call him. Here every language is silent and holds its peace in impotence.

 

so my question is, do we have a word for it? also, is there a word for a parent who has lost a child?

sorry if this question has already been answered but I looked and couldn't find it.

2012/11/02
8:03am
EmmettRedd
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I think the generic word would be survivor. At least, obiturary language lists many relatives (and, sometimes, friends) as the decedent "is survived by…"

Beyond, orphan, widow, and widower, I do not think there any more words which signify a survivor's specific relationship.

Emmett

2012/11/02
2:51pm
Ron Draney
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Another word that does not define the relationship between the deceased and the survivor is relict. I have the impression that it's only used in legal documents.

2012/11/03
12:52am
Neiloy George
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relict is new word for me actually. means widow doesn't it?

i've never heard that word before. thanks. 

 

but i am still stuck looking for the right word in this context.

2012/11/06
7:42am
Glenn
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Another useful word that does not specify the relationship is bereft / bereaved. Grieving may be more accessible.

To me bereft conveys all the pain of lost intimacy of all types.

2012/11/10
8:01am
Neiloy George
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bereft is very general though isnt it? a word like widow is very specific. It draws a clear relation between the deceased and the living. I am having a hard time believing nobody came out with a word that can connect a parent to a dead child.

Maybe it is time for somebody to step up.

2012/11/10
7:25pm
EmmettRedd
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How about 'nahpro'?

2012/11/10
8:15pm
Dick
Fort Worth, TX
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EmmettRedd said
How about 'nahpro'?

Perfect, I'll use it.  The only problem is that to be a perfect.nahpro you would have to lose all of your children.

2012/11/10
10:12pm
Robert
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A word like widower is actionable to the villagers all around- is he marriageable again for instance, plus tax and legal statuses and whatnots. Likewise there is the word gentile, but nothing else similarly – there is just not enough mentioning of concepts like non-French, non-Chinese to warrant a word.

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