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Definition of parent - 6 dictionary results
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par⋅ent

  [pair-uhnt, par-]
Use parent in a Sentence
–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 parēns), n. use of prp. of parere to bring forth, breed

Related forms:
par⋅ent⋅less, adjective
par⋅ent⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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par·ent   (pâr'ənt, pār'-)   
n.  

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

  2. An ancestor; a progenitor.

  3. An organism that produces or generates offspring.

  4. A guardian; a protector.

  5. A parent company.

  6. A source or cause; an origin: Despair is the parent of rebellion.

v.   par·ent·ed, par·ent·ing, par·ents

v.   tr.

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

  2. 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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

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 their marriage
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 mainly on 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 legally imposed 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 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
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

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 Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

parent par·ent (pâr'ənt, pār'-)
n.

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

  2. An ancestor; a progenitor.

  3. An organism that produces or generates offspring.

v. par·ent·ed, par·ent·ing, par·ents

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

  2. 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.
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Computing Dictionary

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

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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