parent (pâr&eitalic_;nt or pār&eitalic_;nt; 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.
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Children, obey your parents in the Lord. Eph. vi. 1.
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2. That which produces; cause; source; author; begetter; as, idleness is the parent of vice.
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Regular industry is the parent of sobriety. Channing.
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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.
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