An orphanage is a large house where children with no parents — or none who can look after them — live together and are cared for. You see the word a lot in older stories, news about the past, and charity talk. It is still understood, but it can feel a bit cold or old-fashioned. Today people often say children’s home, because it sounds more like a place to live and less like a label. Though actually, many children in such places are not “orphans” in the strict sense: a parent may still be alive, but cannot raise the child. The building is the orphanage; each child is an orphan, if that word fits.