Definition

1. Noun:

   • A father or mother; a person who begets, gives birth to, or raises a child: A "parent" is a direct biological or adoptive caregiver of a child.
   • A source or origin: "Parent" can metaphorically refer to the thing from which another is derived or originates.
   • An organism from which younger ones are obtained: In biology, a "parent" is an animal or plant that produces offspring.

2. Verb:

   • To act as a parent; to raise or nurture a child: "To parent" means to care for and bring up a child.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • Every child needs love and support from a parent.
  • The company is a parent to several smaller subsidiaries.
  • The parent plant produces seeds for the next generation.

• Verb:

  • They are learning how to parent effectively.
  • It is challenging to work full-time and parent young children.

Advanced Usage

• "Parent company": A company that controls other, smaller companies (Note: This is a compound noun listed separately as a variant).
• "To parent consciously": To raise children with deliberate thought and intention about one's methods.
  • They attended classes to learn how to parent consciously.

Variants and Related Words

• Parental (adjective): Relating to or characteristic of a parent.
  • She provides strong parental guidance.
• Parenthood (noun): The state of being a parent.
  • Parenthood is a rewarding journey.
• Parent company (noun): A company that owns or controls another company.
• Single parent (noun): A person raising a child or children without a partner.

Synonyms

• Noun: Progenitor, guardian, caregiver, forebear.
• Verb: Raise, rear, nurture, bring up.

Related Phrases

• "Parent-teacher association (PTA)": An organization of parents and teachers focused on a school.
• "Birth parent": A biological mother or father.

Idioms

• "Like parent, like child": Used to suggest a child's behavior or character is similar to that of their parent.
  • He's just as stubborn as his father—like parent, like child.

Noun

1. an organism (plant or animal) from which younger ones are obtained
2. a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian

Verb

1. bring up
   • raise a family
   • bring up children