parens, entis, m. and f. (gen. plur. parentum and parentium, cf. Varr. L. L. 8, § 66 Mull.; Charis. p. 111 P.; Diom. p. 282 ib.: masculino genere parentem appellabant antiqui etiam matrem, Fest. p. 151 Mull.; so, Gracchus, Charis. p. 79 P.) [pario], a procreator, a father or mother, a parent; most freq. in the plur., parents. Lit.: SI PARENTEM PVER VERBERIT ... DIVIS PARENTVM SACER ESTO, Lex regia: qui parentem aut hospitem Necasset, Enn. ap. Non. 153, 29 (Trag. v. 239 Vahl.): parens tuus, Cic. Sull. 29, 81; Hor. A. P. 313: illum et parentis crediderim sui Fregisse cervicem, id. C. 2, 13, 5: alma parens Idaea deum, Verg. A. 10, 252: an tu reris eum (Orestem) occisā insanuisse parente? etc., Hor. S. 2, 3, 134: imperator, qui sibi parentis loco esset, i. e. entitled to the reverence due a father, Liv. 4, 42, 8; cf.: (Lolliam) privignis parentis loco futuram, be a mother to them, Tac. A. 12. 2: parentis eam (Darii matrem) loco diligi colique, Curt. 5, 3, 11: per speciem honorandae parentis, Liv. 8, 22, 2; 26, 49, 13.

—In plur.: quae (caritas) est inter natos et parentes, Cic. Lael. 8, 27: parentes cum liberis, Caes. B. G. 5, 14, 4; Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 42, § 108: opus a parentibus majoribusque meis relictum, id. Rep. 1, 22, 35: in parentum loco, id. Planc. 11, 28.

— Of animals, a sire or dam, Varr. R. R. 3, 7 fin.: gravida stans, Plin. 8, 42, 66, § 165; Cels. 6, 6, 39; Stat. Th. 10, 231.

— Transf. Grandparents, and, in gen., progenitors, ancestors (parentes, like patres, is used of the generations immediately preceding the present; all ancestors more remote than the grandparents are called majores, Seyffert ad Cic. Lael. p. 260): Siciliam tantum ac Sardiniam parentibus nostris ereptas nostrā virtute recuperaturi essemus, Liv. 21, 43, 6: appellatione parentis non tantum pater, sed etiam avus et proavus, et deinceps omnes superiores continentur: sed et mater et avia et proavia, Dig. 50, 16, 51; cf. ib. 2, 4, 4; Fest. p. 221 Mull.; Cic. Inv. 1, 54, 103; Verg. A. 9, 3; 10, 76; 619: si patriam, parentes, antiqua mallent quam dominos et colonias novas, Tac. A. 1, 59; Dig. 23, 3, 5.

— Relations, kinsfolk, kindred (rare and not ante-Aug.): solent rei capitis adhibere vobis parentes. Duos ego fratres nuper amisi, Curt. 6, 10, 30; Lampr. Alex. Sev. 67; Capitol. M. Aur. 5; Flor. 3, 18, 5.

—(Whether we are to take it in this sense in Liv 34, 32, 12, is doubtful.)

— Trop., a father, founder, inventor, author (class.): me quem nonnulli conservatorem istius urbis, quem parentem esse dixerunt, Cic. Att. 9, 10, 3: operum parens effectorque, id. Univ. 11: Socrates parens philosophiae, id. Fin. 2, 1, 1; cf.: Tullius facundiae Latiarumque litterarum parens, Plin. 7, 30, 31, § 117; and: Homerus primus doctrinarum et antiquitatis parens, id. 25, 2, 5, § 11: (Mercurius) curvae lyrae parens, Hor. C. 1, 10, 6: earum (rerum) parens est educatrixque sapientia, Cic. Leg. 1, 24, 62.

—As an honorary appellation: quid prius dicam solitis Parentis Laudibus, i. e. Jupiter, Hor. C. 1, 12, 13: Latius, i. e. Domitian, Stat. S. 1, 2, 178.