parent

[pair-uh nt, par-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR parent ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a father or a mother.

an ancestor, precursor, or progenitor.

a source, origin, or cause.

a protector or guardian.

Biology. any organism that produces or generates another.

Physics. the first nuclide in a radioactive series.

adjective

being the original source: a parent organization.

Biology. pertaining to an organism, cell, or complex molecular structure that generates or produces another: parent cell; parent DNA.

verb (used with object)

to be or act as parent of: to parent children with both love and discipline.

Origin of parent

1375–1425; late Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin parent- (stem of parēns), noun use of present participle of parere to bring forth, breed

Related formspar·ent·less, adjectivepar·ent·like, adjectivenon·par·ent, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for parent

father, mother, originator, origin, prototype, center, author, root, creator, forerunner, source, architect, progenitor, folks, guardian, ancestor, cause, wellspring, fountainhead, begetter

Examples from the Web for parent

Contemporary Examples of parent

Tinder and OkCupid are both owned by IAC, the parent company of The Daily Beast.
My Week on Jewish Tinder
Emily Shire
January 5, 2015
To be a parent is to be able to offer truly unconditional love.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen
Parker Molloy
January 1, 2015
Not even after its parent company, the Soviet Union, took a dive in 1991.
Obama’s One Hand Clap With Castro
Doug McIntyre
December 24, 2014
At least one parent would have to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
The Progressive Case Against Birthright Citizenship
Keli Goff
December 15, 2014
Patty Hearst's parents are separated, and he broods about which parent the girl will go to before her marriage.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014

Historical Examples of parent

As between child and parent or nurse it is not argued about because it is inevitable.
A Treatise on Parents and Children
George Bernard Shaw
But the yearning towards the parent country is too strong to be overcome.
In the Heart of Vosges
Matilda Betham-Edwards
I am a childless man, yet here I am as the parent of all of them.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
It is the parent, the fosterer, the sole supporter of the slave-trade.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VII (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier
He then mentioned his intention, as a gentleman and a parent, of writing to Mr Merdle.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for parent

parent

noun

a father or mother

a person acting as a father or mother; guardian

rare an ancestor

a source or cause

an organism or organization that has produced one or more organisms or organizations similar to itself
(as modifier)a parent organism

physics chem

a precursor, such as a nucleus or compound, of a derived entity
(as modifier)a parent nucleus; a parent ion

Derived Formsparenthood, noun

Word Origin for parent

C15: via Old French from Latin parens parent, from parere to bring forth

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for parent

early 15c. (late 12c. as a surname), from Old French parent "father, parent, relative, kin" (11c.), from Latin parentem (nominative parens) "father or mother, ancestor," noun use of present participle of parere "bring forth, give birth to, produce," from PIE root *pere- "to bring forth" (see pare). Began to replace native elder after c.1500.

1660s, from parent (n.). Related: Parented; parenting.

parent in Medicine

parent

[pâr′ənt]

n.

One who begets, gives birth to, or nurtures and raises a child; a father or mother.

An ancestor; a progenitor.

An organism that produces or generates offspring.

v.

To act as a parent to; to rear and nurture.

To cause to come into existence; to serve as a source for; originate.