parent /(pâr"ent [or] pār"ent; 277)/

par·ent

parent

n.
  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.

Phrases & Compounds
Parent cell
See Mother cell, under Mother, also Cytula.
Parent nucleus
a nucleus which, in cell division, divides, and gives rise to two or more daughter nuclei. See Karyokinesis, and Cell division, under Division.