parent

UK: /ˈpɛərənt/ US: /ˈpɛrənt, ˈpær-/ ,(pâr′ənt, par′-)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

par•ent /ˈpɛrənt, ˈpær-/   n. [countable]

1. a father or a mother:
   a parent's concern for his children.
2. Developmental Biology, Biology any living thing that produces another:
   The parents of the yellow-white corn must have been yellow and white.

adj. [before a noun]

3. Biochemistry, Biology of or relating to a living thing that produces another.
4. of or referring to a corporation that owns controlling interests in lesser companies:
   The parent company was a huge conglomerate.

v. [~ + object]

5. to be or act as a parent of.

par•ent•hood, n. 

[uncountable] Parenthood is tough for sixteen-year-old mothers.

See -pare-².

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

par•ent  (pâr′ənt, par′-), n. 

1. a father or a mother.
2. an ancestor, precursor, or progenitor.
3. a source, origin, or cause.
4. a protector or guardian.
5. Developmental Biology, Biology [Biol.] any organism that produces or generates another.
6. Physics the first nuclide in a radioactive series.

adj. 

7. being the original source:
   a parent organization.
8. Biochemistry, Biology pertaining to an organism, cell, or complex molecular structure that generates or produces another:
   parent cell; parent DNA.

v.t. 

9. to be or act as parent of:
   to parent children with both love and discipline.

• Latin parent- (stem of parēns), noun, nominal use of present participle of parere to bring forth, breed
• Middle French)
• late Middle English (1375–1425

par′ent•less, adj. 
par′ent•like′, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

parent / ˈpɛərənt/ noun

1. a father or mother
2. a person acting as a father or mother; guardian
3. an ancestor
4. a source or cause
5. an organism or organization that has produced one or more organisms or organizations similar to itself
6. a precursor, such as a nucleus or compound, of a derived entity

Etymology: 15th Century: via Old French from Latin parens parent, from parere to bring forth

ˈparenthood noun