English → Latin
“parent” in Latin
parēnsparent, mother, father; founder, ancestorpaterfather (male parent); head of household; parentmātermother (female parent); mother (source, origin); matron of a houseopuswork, labor, accomplishment; workmanship, artwork, work (of art, literature, etc.); need, necessitysuperusabove, upper, highermagnusgreat, large, big; (of things) vast, extensive, spacious (of physical size or quantity); great, grand, mighty, noble, lo
The English word parent itself goes back to Latin pariō, through parentem.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
parent
PROP., parens (general term): pater (father): mater (mother): the common parent, communis omnium parens; operum (or rerum) omnium parens et effector; summus, or maximus, mundi parens.
Figuratively, mater (e.g., similitudo satietatis mater, Cic.): parens (of persons [e.g., Socrates parens philosophiae]; of things, it must be used of those that are masculine, and sometimes is used of those that are feminine [terra parens omnium]: procreatrix: genitrix, feminine (e.g., procreatrix quaedam et quasi parens omnium artium est philosophia; genitrix virtutum frugalitas). To be the parent of, alere aliquid (e.g., honos alit artes). This opinion is the parent of many errours, hanc opinionem multi errores consecuti sunt. Sometimes causa, fons, origo (source) may serve.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for parent?
- The usual Latin words for “parent” are parēns, pater, māter; also opus, superus, magnus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.