par·ent (pâr'ənt, păr'-)
n.

1. One who begets, gives birth to, or nurtures and raises a child; a father or mother.
2. An ancestor; a progenitor.
3. An organism that produces or generates offspring.
4. A guardian; a protector.
5. A parent company.
6. A source or cause; an origin: Despair is the parent of rebellion.

v., -ent·ed, -ent·ing, -ents.

v.tr.

1. To act as a parent to; raise and nurture: "A genitor who does not parent the child is not its parent" (Ashley Montagu).
2. To cause to come into existence; originate.

v.intr.
To act as a parent.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin parēns, parent-, from past active participle of parere, to give birth.]

parenthood par'ent·hood' n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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