a. Having no parent, or no acknowledged parent. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Children, obey your parents in the Lord. Eph. vi. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which produces; cause; source; author; begetter; as, idleness is the parent of vice. [ 1913 Webster ]

Regular industry is the parent of sobriety. Channing. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. parentage relationship. ] Descent from parents or ancestors; parents or ancestors considered with respect to their rank or character; extraction; birth; as, a man of noble parentage. “Wilt thou deny thy parentage?” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Though men esteem thee low of parentage. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. parentalis. ] 1. Of or pertaining to a parent or to parents; as, parental authority; parental obligations; parental affection. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Becoming to, or characteristic of, parents; tender; affectionate; devoted; as, parental care. [ 1913 Webster ]

The careful course and parental provision of nature. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a parental manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. parentatio, fr. parentare to offer a solemn sacrifice in honor of deceased parents. See Parent. ] Something done or said in honor of the dead; obsequies. [ Obs. ] Abp. Potter. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. parentèle, L. parentela. ] Kinship; parentage. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Parentheses [ NL., fr. Gr. pare`nqesis, fr. parentiqe`nai to put in beside, insert; para` beside + 'en in + tiqe`nai to put, place. See Para-, En-, 2, and Thesis. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A word, phrase, or sentence, by way of comment or explanation, inserted in, or attached to, a sentence which would be grammatically complete without it. It is usually inclosed within curved lines (see def. 2 below), or dashes. “Seldom mentioned without a derogatory parenthesis.” Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

Don't suffer every occasional thought to carry you away into a long parenthesis. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Print.) One of the curved lines () which inclose a parenthetic word or phrase. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Parenthesis, in technical grammar, is that part of a sentence which is inclosed within the recognized sign; but many phrases and sentences which are punctuated by commas are logically parenthetical. In def. 1, the phrase “by way of comment or explanation” is inserted for explanation, and the sentence would be grammatically complete without it. The present tendency is to avoid using the distinctive marks, except when confusion would arise from a less conspicuous separation. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To make a parenthesis of; to include within parenthetical marks. Lowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Cf. Gr. pare`nqetos. ] 1. Of the nature of a parenthesis; pertaining to, or expressed in, or as if in, a parenthesis; as, a parenthetical clause; a parenthetic remark; a parenthetical style. [ wns=1 ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A parenthetical observation of Moses himself. Hales. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Using or containing parentheses. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Added within parentheses to amplify or explain; as, parenthetical remarks. [ wns=2 ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. In a parenthetical manner; by way of parenthesis; by parentheses. [ 1913 Webster ]