alloparent
noun
al·lo·par·ent
| \ ˈa-lə-ˌper-ənt
\
\
plural alloparents
Definition of alloparent
: an individual other than the biological parent of an offspring that performs the functions of a parent (as by temporarily caring for an infant)
Alloparents are not unconditional caretakers; they won’t devote scarce resources to other offspring at the expense of their own.— Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 8 May 2000
Other Words from alloparent
alloparent
verb, transitive + intransitive
alloparenting;
alloparented;
alloparents
… a key aspect of the human evolutionary pattern of reproduction and development involves the contribution of dependent children to alloparent younger kin.
— Paula Ivey Henry et al., in Hunter-Gatherer Childhoods, 2005
… discovering whether some individuals were more likely to alloparent than others, and if so, the attributes that were associated with this heightened likelihood of care.
— Peter H. Klopfer, in Non-Animal Techniques in Biomedical and Behavioral Research and Testing, 1993
alloparental
\ ˌa-lə-pə-ˈren-tᵊl
\
adjective
\
adjective
males exhibiting alloparental behavior [=males who perform parental duties for offspring who are not biologically their own]
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