I. ˈpa(a)rənt, ˈper- noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin parent-, parens, from present participle of parere to give birth to, beget, produce — more at pare
1.
a. : one that begets or brings forth offspring : father , mother
b. law
(1) : a lawful parent
(2) : a person standing in loco parentis although not a natural parent
(3) : ancestor — compare patria potestas
2. obsolete : relative 3a
3.
a. : an animal or plant regarded in relation to its offspring
the genetic identity of a particular parent tree — Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
b. : the material or source from which something is derived : author , cause , origin
means of determining the rate of weathering of the parent rock — J.P.Minard
the outermost electrons can be detached from their parent atoms — Leonard Engel
while liberty was the parent of eloquence, eloquence was the stay of liberty — Van Wyck Brooks
c. : a group (as a society, church, or business) from which another takes its rise and to which it sometimes remains subsidiary
produces shoe linings for its parent firm — American Guide Series: Arkansas
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to be or act as the parent of : originate , produce
2. : to provide with a parent or parents : trace the derivation of : show the real or assumed source of
III. verb
intransitive verb
: to bring up and care for a child
transitive verb
: to bring up and care for