The Father of Waters
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The Mississippi, the chief river of North America. The Missouri is its child. The Irrawaddy is so called also.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Father of Waters” mean?
The Mississippi, the chief river of North America. The Missouri is its child. The Irrawaddy is so called also.
Is “The Father of Waters” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.