/ ˈpeərənt; NAmE ˈper-/ noun
1.
[ usually pl. ] a person's father or mother :
He's still living with his parents.
her adoptive parents
Sue and Ben have recently become parents.
—see also one-parent family , single parent , step-parent
2.
an animal or a plant which produces other animals or plants :
the parent bird / tree
3.
(often used as an adjective) an organization that produces and owns or controls smaller organizations of the same type :
a parent bank and its subsidiaries
the parent company
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French , from Latin parent- bringing forth, from the verb parere . The verb dates from the mid 17th cent.