Nonparent

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who does not have children or is not a caregiver to any child in a parental role
2. An individual who neither adopts nor bears offspring and does not participate in parenting
3. Someone who is not involved in the responsibilities or duties typically associated with being a parent

Etymology: "Nonparent" is a plain formation: the prefix "non-", meaning "not," attached to "parent." The prefix comes from Latin "non," "not," and has been used in English for centuries to build words meaning the absence of a quality or role. "Parent" itself traces back through Old French to Latin "parens," a person who begets or brings forth, so the compound simply means someone who is not a parent. The word is used mainly in discussions of family, law, and social research, where a neutral term for people without children is useful. Its neatness is its appeal: it names a category rather than judging the people in it.

Synonyms: noncustodial parent, guardian, caregiver, relative, non-biological parent

Antonyms: parent, mother, father, guardian