Parent

In a tree structure, an element that contains subordinate elements called child elements .

• The controlling side of a hierarchical relationship. In a hierarchical structure, a parent has one or more child nodes directly beneath it in the hierarchy.
• A device, bus, function, or process at one level of a hierarchy. The parent controls the behavior of components below it in the hierarchy .

Sources:

Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms (Vol. 1) John C. Rigdon, 2016 – 1471 c. – 892