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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

par·ent

Audio Help [pair-uh

nt, par-] Pronunciation Key

–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.

–adjective

7.	being the original source: a parent organization.

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

–verb (used with object)

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

[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME (< MF) < L parent- (s. of paréns), n. use of prp. of parere to bring forth, breed

]

—Related forms

par·ent·less, adjective

par·ent·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Parent

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

par·ent Audio Help (pâr'ənt, pār'-) Pronunciation Key
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.
A guardian; a protector.
A parent company.
A source or cause; an origin: Despair is the parent of rebellion.

v. par·ent·ed, par·ent·ing, par·ents

v. tr.

To act as a parent to; raise and nurture: "A genitor who does not parent the child is not its parent" (Ashley Montagu).
To cause to come into existence; originate.

v. intr.
To act as a parent.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin parēns, parent-, from past active participle of parere, to give birth; see perə-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

par'ent·hood' n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
parent

1185, from O.Fr. parent (11c.), from L. parentem (nom. parens) "father or mother, ancestor," noun use of prp. of parere "bring forth, give birth to, produce," from PIE base *per- "to bring forth" (see pare). Began to replace native elder after c.1500. The verb is attested from 1663. The verbal noun parenting is first recorded 1959 (earlier term had been parentcraft, 1930).

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

parent
noun
1.	a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian [ant: child]
2.	an organism (plant or animal) from which younger ones are obtained
verb
1.	bring up; "raise a family"; "bring up children" [syn: rear]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
parent1 [ˈpeərənt] noun

one of the two persons etc (one male and one female) who are jointly the cause of one's birth

Arabic:	أحَدُ الوالِدَين
Chinese (Simplified):	父，母
Chinese (Traditional):	父，母
Czech:	rodič
Danish:	forælder
Dutch:	ouder
Estonian:	(lapse)vanem
Finnish:	vanhempi
French:	père (ou) mère
German:	der Elternteil
Greek:	γονιός
Hungarian:	szülő
Icelandic:	foreldri
Indonesian:	orangtua
Italian:	padre, madre

Japanese:	親
Korean:	부 또는 모
Latvian:	tēvs; māte
Lithuanian:	tėvas, motina, gimdytojas
Norwegian:	forelder, far eller mor
Polish:	rodzić
Portuguese (Brazil):	pai, *mãe
Portuguese (Portugal):	pai, *mãe
Romanian:	părinte
Russian:	родитель(ница)
Slovak:	rodič
Slovenian:	mati, oče
Spanish:	padre; madre
Swedish:	förälder
Turkish:	anne; baba

parent2 [ˈpeərənt] noun

a person with the legal position of a mother or father eg by adoption

Arabic:	والِد بالتَّبَنّي
Chinese (Simplified):	养父或养母
Chinese (Traditional):	養父或養母
Czech:	osvojitel, -ka
Danish:	stedforælder
Dutch:	ouder
Estonian:	hooldaja
Finnish:	huoltaja
French:	père adoptif (ou) mère adoptive
German:	der Elternteil
Greek:	κηδεμόνας
Hungarian:	nevelőszülő
Icelandic:	foreldri
Indonesian:	orangtua
Italian:	genitore, genitrice

Japanese:	親
Korean:	양모 또는 양부
Latvian:	audžutēvs; audžumāte
Lithuanian:	įtėvis, įmotė
Norwegian:	foresatt, adoptivfar, *-mor
Polish:	rodzić
Portuguese (Brazil):	pai adotivo, *mãe adotiva
Portuguese (Portugal):	pai, *mãe
Romanian:	părinte adoptiv
Russian:	приёмный родитель
Slovak:	osvojiteľ, -ka, adoptívny rodič
Slovenian:	očim, mačeha
Spanish:	padre; madre
Swedish:	målsman
Turkish:	evlât edinmiş kimse

See also: parentage, parenthood, parental

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

parent par·ent (pâr'ənt, pār'-)
n.

One who begets, gives birth to, or nurtures and raises a child; a father or a mother.
An ancestor; a progenitor.
An organism that produces or generates offspring.

v. par·ent·ed, par·ent·ing, par·ents

To act as a parent to; to rear and nurture.
To cause to come into existence; to serve as a source for; originate.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: par·ent
Pronunciation: 'par-&nt, 'per-
Function: noun
1 : one that begets or brings forth offspring
2 : the material or source from which something is derived —parent adjective —pa·ren·tal /p&-'rent-^&l/ adjective

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: par·ent
Function: noun
1 a : a person who begets or brings forth offspring; especially : the natural parents of a child born of theirmarriage
NOTE: The biological father of an illegitimate child is usually not considered the child's parent absent a judicial determination of paternity. There have been exceptions, based mainlyon the father's attitude toward, support of, or involvement with the child. b : a person who legally adopts a child c : a person or entity that owes to a child a legallyimposed duty of support d : a stepparent where designated by statute
2 : an entity or group that gives rise to or acquires another usually subsidiary entity or group<a parent company>; specifically : a corporation that owns a required minimum percentage of the stock of another corporation —compare AFFILIATE —parent adjective —pa·ren·tal /p&-'ren-t&l/ adjective —pa·ren·tal·ly adverb —par·ent·less adjective

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

parent mathematics, data
The ancestor node in a tree that points to the current node (one of its child nodes).
(2005-09-15)

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Parent

Ap*pear"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Appeared; p. pr. & vb. n. Appearing.] [OE. apperen, aperen, OF. aparoir, F. apparoir, fr. L. appar?re to appear + par?reto come forth, to be visible; prob. from the same root as par?re to produce. Cf. Apparent, Parent, Peer, v. i.]

1. To come or be in sight; to be in view; to become visible.

And God . . . said, Let . . . the dry land appear. --Gen. i. 9.

2. To come before the public; as, a great writer appeared at that time.

3. To stand in presence of some authority, tribunal, or superior person, to answer a charge, plead a cause, or the like; to present one's self as a party or advocate before a court, or as a person to be tried.

We must all appear before the judgment seat. --[hand] Cor. v. 10.

One ruffian escaped because no prosecutor dared to appear. --Macaulay.

4. To become visible to the apprehension of the mind; to be known as a subject of observation or comprehension, or as a thing proved; to be obvious or manifest.

It doth not yet appear what we shall be. --1 John iii. 2.

Of their vain contest appeared no end. --Milton.

5. To seem; to have a certain semblance; to look.

They disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. --Matt. vi. 16.

Syn: To seem; look. See Seem.

On-line Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

parent

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