orphaning

Orphaning is the state or process of being deprived of one’s parents, usually through death, disappearance, or abandonment, and is also used to describe actions that cause someone to become an orphan. In social and legal contexts, an “orphan” generally refers to a child who has lost one or both parents; however, definitions vary by jurisdiction and policy. Some classifications distinguish between single orphans (one deceased parent) and double orphans (both parents deceased). Orphaning has implications for guardianship, care arrangements, education, and access to social services, and human-rights and development programs often address the needs of orphans and other vulnerable children through foster care, adoption, or extended-family support.

In policy and welfare, the term is tied to international aid and national statistics. Programs may focus on poverty reduction, access to healthcare, education continuity, and psychosocial support for children who have lost parents. Legislation surrounding guardianship, child protection, and adoption aims to provide stable substitutes for parental care and to ensure the child’s rights are protected throughout transitions in care.

In computing, orphaning refers to a process situation where a running program (process) continues after its parent process has terminated. Such processes become orphans and are typically adopted by a system process such as init or systemd. Orphaning in this sense is usually addressed by the operating system’s process reaping and resource-management mechanisms to prevent leaks and ensure proper cleanup.

Etymologically, orphaning derives from the word orphan, itself tracing to Greek and Latin roots meaning “without a parent.”