On Oct 18, 2:50*pm, "Don Phillipson" wrote:
"David Hill" wrote in message

...

A cousin of mine lost her daughter to cancer a short while ago.
She raised the following question.
A man who loses his wife is a widower, a woman who loses her husband is a
widow, a child who loses a parent is an orphan. *Why is there no word in
the English language for a parent who loses a child?

Perhaps because before 1900 this was so common: *most
parents lost at least one child to illness, i.e. bereavement was
normal and required no special word.

You can make the same argument about parents or spouses before 1900.
Mortality was quite common, people hardly made it to thetr 70s.

I agree with Mr. Friedman: a change in status required a special word.

Until what age can someone claim the orphan status? I never considered
my grandparents as orphans although all their parents died before I
was born.