parent

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
parent
    n 1: 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 [ant: {child}, {kid}]
    2: an organism (plant or animal) from which younger ones are
       obtained
    v 1: bring up; "raise a family"; "bring up children" [syn:
         {rear}, {raise}, {bring up}, {nurture}, {parent}]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
parent \par"ent\ (p[^a]r"ent or p[=a]r"ent; 277), n. [L. parens,
   -entis; akin to parere to bring forth; cf. Gr. porei^n to
   give, beget: cf. F. parent. Cf. {Part}.]
   1. One who begets, or brings forth, offspring; a father or a
      mother.
      [1913 Webster]

            Children, obey your parents in the Lord. --Eph. vi.
                                                  1.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. That which produces; cause; source; author; begetter; as,
      idleness is the parent of vice.
      [1913 Webster]

            Regular industry is the parent of sobriety.
                                                  --Channing.
      [1913 Webster]

   {Parent cell}. (Biol.) See {Mother cell}, under {Mother},
      also {Cytula}.

   {Parent nucleus} (Biol.), a nucleus which, in cell division,
      divides, and gives rise to two or more daughter nuclei.
      See {Karyokinesis}, and {Cell division}, under {Division}.
      [1913 Webster]
    
from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
parent
mother
predecessor

   <mathematics, data> The {ancestor} {node} in a {tree} that
   points to the current node (one of its child nodes).

   (2005-09-15)
    
from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
51 Moby Thesaurus words for "parent":
      agent, ancestor, ancestorial, ancestral, ancestress, author,
      begetter, beginner, catalyst, causer, creator, effector,
      engenderer, father, fatherlike, fatherly, generator, grandfatherly,
      grandmotherly, grandparent, grandparental, guardian, inspirer,
      instigator, maker, mater, materfamilias, maternal, mother,
      motherlike, motherly, mover, origin, originator, parental, pater,
      paterfamilias, paternal, patriarchal, prime mover, primum mobile,
      procreator, producer, progenitor, progenitress, progenitrix, root,
      sire, source, stepfather, stepmother

    

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