Definition: parent

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Source: WordNet (r) 1.7 

parent
     n : 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]
     v : bring up; "raise a family"; "bring up children" [syn: rear,
          raise, bring up, nurture]

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) 

Parent \Par"ent\, n. [L. parens, -entis; akin to parere to bring
   forth; cf. Gr. ? to give, beget: cf. F. parent. Cf. Part.]
   1. One who begets, or brings forth, offspring; a father or a
      mother.

            Children, obey your parents in the Lord. --Eph. vi.
                                                  1.

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

            Regular industry is the parent of sobriety.
                                                  --Channing.

   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.

Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (2003-OCT-10) 

parent

   <mathematics, data> (Or "mother", "precedessor") In a tree,
   a node which points to at least one daughter node.

   (1998-11-14)