parent
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.
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.
to be or act as parent of: to parent children with both love and discipline.
Origin of parent
1Other words from parent
- par·ent·less, adjective
- par·ent·like, adjective
- non·par·ent, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use parent in a sentence
Parentlike she yearned to graft upon the young tree the heavy branch of her own worldly experience.
One Woman's Life | Robert Herrick
British Dictionary definitions for parent
/ (ˈpɛərənt) /
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
Origin of parent
1Derived forms of parent
- parenthood, noun
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
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