Parental

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /pəˈɹɛn.təl/

Definitions

1. Relating to or characteristic of a mother or father in their role of caring for and raising children
2. Connected to the roles and responsibilities of mothers and fathers in nurturing, guiding, and providing for their offspring
3. Pertaining to the behaviors, duties, and characteristics associated with child-rearing by caregivers such as mothers and fathers

Etymology: Latin "parens" meant "parent" but its adjective "parentalis" was used of parents and their relations, and it passed into Middle French as "parental" before English borrowed it. The Latin noun itself comes from the verb "parere," meaning "to bring forth" or "give birth," so a parent was originally defined by the act of producing offspring rather than by the work of raising them. That is the reverse of how the adjective is used now, where the emphasis has shifted almost entirely to the duties of caregiving. The word is formed simply: the Latin base "parent-" plus the adjectival suffix "-al," the same ending found in words like "national" or "musical." English took the Latin adjective through French, so the form you see today is a direct descendant of the Latin "parentalis" rather than a native English coinage.

Synonyms: familial, guardian, caretaker, motherly, fatherly

Antonyms: child, offspring, descendant, youth, minor