Learn English – How to name something that has sub-categories

terminologyword-choice

So I have this database of my categories. And every category can have sub-categories, except for the prime-level ones. In my database I designate a row that is pointing to the category which will contain this category as its sub-category.

How do I call that? Mother Category? Maybe there is more "technical" word for that?

P.S.
Sorry, English is not my native language so I don't know many words
.

Best Answer

In conceptual modelling, where we study whole/part relationships, we would call that the whole.

A more technical name would be root.