parent /ˈpɛəɹənt/noun 11verb 2forms 3 noun11 •[in the plural] a mother or father, or anyone who brings up a child as their ownAfter both her parents were killed in a forest fire, Sonia was adopted by her aunt and uncle. •A surrogate parent. •[in the plural] A person who has had a baby; this person in relation to their child or children. •An organism from which a plant or animal is immediately biologically descended. •The source or origin of something.Misery is often the parent of the most affecting touches in poetry. — 1785 •The object from which a child or derived object is descended; a node superior to another node. •The nuclide that decays into a daughter nuclide. •[before a noun] Sponsor, supporter, owner, protector. •[before a noun] A parent company. •A third person who has provided DNA samples in an IVF procedure in order to alter faulty genetic material. •(no longer used) A relative. verb2 •To act as parent, to raise or rear. •To provide a parent object for one or more other objects, which become the children. formsparented · parenting · parents
