parent

American  

[pair-uhnt, par-] / ˈpɛər ənt, ˈpær- /

noun

1. a father or a mother.

2. an ancestor, precursor, or progenitor.

3. a source, origin, or cause.

4. a protector or guardian.

5. Biology. any organism that produces or generates another.

6. Physics. the first nuclide in a radioactive series.

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adjective

1. being the original source.

   a parent organization.

2. Biology. pertaining to an organism, cell, or complex molecular structure that generates or produces another.

   parent cell;

   parent DNA.

verb (used with object)

1. to be or act as parent of.

   to parent children with both love and discipline.

parent British  

/ ˈpɛərənt /

noun

1. a father or mother

2. a person acting as a father or mother; guardian

3. rare an ancestor

4. a source or cause

5. 1. an organism or organization that has produced one or more organisms or organizations similar to itself

   2. ( as modifier )

      a parent organism

6. physics chem

   1. a precursor, such as a nucleus or compound, of a derived entity

   2. ( as modifier )

      a parent nucleus

      a parent ion

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Other Word Forms

• nonparent
  noun
• parenthood
  noun
• parentless
  adjective
• parentlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of parent

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin parent-, stem of parēns, noun use of present participle of parere “to bring forth, breed”

Explanation

A parent is a mother or father. Your mom and your dad are your parents, and one of their jobs is to parent you. We're all born to parents, and many of us also have step parents, foster parents, or adoptive parents who parent us. You might also use parent to talk about plants and animals; maybe your new puppy's parents were dog show champions, for example. Things that act as the source or owner of something else are also parents, like a parent company that owns the local bookshop. The Latin root is parere, "give birth to, produce."

Example Sentences

In the meantime, YouTube campaigned to “normalize” itself in classrooms in part by cozying up to Parent Teacher Associations, school districts alleged in a lawsuit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

“Weights in the Underlying Index are next normalized so that sectors in the Underlying Index represent the same weight as in the Parent Index.”

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

Parent Toni Belcher said that students have a right to be heard.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

The Molly Rose Foundation, a suicide prevention charity named after Russell's daughter, and organisations including the NSPCC, Parent Zone and Childnet, called a ban the "wrong solution".

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2026

I turn on my light and sketch out ideas for Germ—Ask a Parent, book playlists, monthly soundtracks, lists of places where girls like me can get involved.

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven

Related Words

• father
• mother