parent
Use Parent in a sentence
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.
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.
00:10
Parent
is always a great word to know.
So is protoplasm. Does it mean:
| the colloidal and liquid substance of which cells are formed, the cytoplasm and nucleus: no longer in technical use |
| occurring across a membrane, as an electric potential or the transport of ions or gases |
verb (used with object)
9.
to be or act as parent of: to parent children with both love and discipline.
Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin parent- (stem of parēns), noun use of present participle of parere to bring forth, breed
1375–1425; late Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin parent- (stem of parēns), noun use of present participle of parere to bring forth, breed
Related forms
par·ent·less, adjective
par·ent·like, adjective
non·par·ent, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To parent
Collins
World English Dictionary
parent (ˈpɛərənt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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. | a. an organism or organization that has produced one or more organisms or organizations similar to itself |
| b. (as modifier): a parent organism | |
| 6. | physics, chem |
| a. a precursor, such as a nucleus or compound, of a derived entity | |
| b. (as modifier): a parent nucleus; a parent ion | |
| [C15: via Old French from Latin parens parent, from parere to bring forth] | |
| 'parenthood | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
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).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
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.
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.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
FOLDOC
Example sentences
After all, a parent isn't an infinite source of food and protection.
When booking a cruise, single parents need to consider different factors than two-parent families.
If the parent who is a photic sneezer has only one copy of the gene, this is true.
Ask a parent to help you cut cardboard into the shape of a television screen.
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
