|
| par·ent [ pérrənt ] |
noun (plural par·ents) |
|
| Definition: |
| |
1. mother or father: somebody's mother, father, or legal guardian
|
2. origin of something else: something from which one or more similar and separate things have developed, or to which they are attached
(
often used before a noun
)
  money transferred from the parent fund
|
3. chemistry earlier atomic form: an atom, molecule, or ion that undergoes change to become a new product. The starting components in a chemical reaction are the parent molecules.
(
often used before a noun
)
|
4. nuclear physics particle's earlier form: a radioactive particle that disintegrates to give a new particle nuclide as a subsequent member of a radioactive decay series
(
often used before a noun
)
|
transitive verb (past and past participle par·ent·ed, present participle par·ent·ing, 3rd person present singular par·ents) |
|
| Definition: |
| |
act as parent to somebody: to be or act as a parent to somebody or something
|
| [15th century. Via French< Latin parent-< present participle of parere "give birth"] |
|
| par·ent·hood noun |
| par·ent·less adjective |
|
