PARENT

parent. Parent, n. a father or mother, source, head, cause

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Par″ent (pâr″ent or pār″ent; 277), n. [[L. parens, -entis; akin to parere to bring forth; cf. Gr. πορει̑ν to give, beget: cf. F. parent. Cf. Part.]] 1. 1. One who begets, or brings forth, offspring; a father or a mother.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord. Eph. vi. 1. 2. 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.