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parenthood

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Etymology and origin of the English word parenthood

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1853 Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine
Ultimate origin
Latin pariō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin parens
French parent
Italian parente
English parent
English parenthood
From the same root
Latin parentalia ← parens
Latin parentalis ← parens
Latin parento ← parens

Pronunciation

  • /ˈpɛːɹənthʊd/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English parent + -hood.[2][3][4][5] Parent is from Old French parent (“father, parent, relative”) and parēns (“father or mother, ancestor”), the present participle of pariō (“to bring forth, give birth to”);[3] -hood is from Old English -hād (“condition, quality, position”).[3] The OED notes the earlier words of similar meaning parentage, parentality, parentdom and parentship.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The state or condition of being a parent; fatherhood or motherhood: 1853, in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its first meaning.[2][4] Older dictionaries dated it to 1856[3][7] or to 1855–60;[5] the revised OED and Merriam-Webster Unabridged have found it in 1853.[2][6] Merriam-Webster also uses it for the position, function or standing of a parent.[6]

Timeline

  • 1853 – the state of being a parent.[2][6]
  • 1856 – first date given by Etymonline and the first edition of the OED.[3][7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The state of being a parent; fatherhood or motherhood: Parenthood changed his priorities.[2][4][6]
  2. The position, role or responsibilities of a parent.[6]

Word family

  • nonparenthood

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Parenthood.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/parenthood. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·