alloparent

noun

al·lo·par·ent ˈa-lə-ˌper-ənt

plural alloparents

: 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

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

males exhibiting alloparental behavior [=males who perform parental duties for offspring who are not biologically their own]