par·ent n
1 a: a person who begets or brings forth offspring; esp: the natural parents of a child born of their marriage
◇ The biological father of an illegitimate child is usu. not considered the child's parent absent a judicial determination of paternity. There have been exceptions, based mainly on the father's attitude toward, support of, or involvement with the child.
b: a person who legally adopts a child
c: a person or entity that owes to a child a legally imposed duty of support
d: a stepparent where designated by statute
2: an entity or group that gives rise to or acquires another usu. subsidiary entity or group
a parent company; specif: a corporation that owns a required minimum percentage of the stock of another corporation compare affiliate
parent adj
pa·ren·tal /pə-'ren-təl/ adj
pa·ren·tal·ly adv
par·ent·less adj
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.