(often initial capital letter) one's female parent.
a mother-in-law, stepmother, or adoptive mother.
a term of address for a female parent or a woman having or regarded as having the status, function, or authority of a female parent.
a term of familiar address for an old or elderly woman.
mother superior.
a woman exercising control, influence, or authority like that of a mother: to be a mother to someone.
the qualities characteristic of a mother, as maternal affection: It is the mother in her showing itself.
something that gives rise to something else; origin or source: Idleness is the mother of possibility.
a woman who originates or creates something:the mother of computer science.
Slang. a euphemism for motherfucker.
Audio. (in disc recording) a mold from which stampers are made.
adjective
being a mother: a mother bird.
of, relating to, or characteristic of a mother: mother love.
derived from or as if from one's mother; native: his mother culture.
bearing a relation like that of a mother, as in being the origin, source, or protector: the mother company and its affiliates; the mother computer and its network of terminals.
verb (used with object)
to be the mother of; give origin or rise to: She mothered two children.
to acknowledge oneself the author of; assume as one's own.
to care for or protect like a mother; act maternally toward, sometimes in an excessive way: It’s in her nature to love and mother those around her.Stop mothering me!
verb (used without object)
to perform the tasks or duties of a female parent, sometimes in an excessive way; act maternally: She’s always wanted to mother.
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Idioms for mother
mother of all, the greatest or most notable example of: the mother of all mystery novels.
Origin of mother
1
First recorded before 900; Middle English mother, moder, Old English mōdor; cognate with Dutch moeder, German Mutter, Old Norse mōthir, Latin māter, Greek mḗtēr, mā́tēr Sanskrit mātar-; all from Proto-Indo-European mātér-. As in father,th was substituted for d, possibly on the model of brother.
a stringy, mucilaginous substance consisting of various bacteria, especially Acetobacter aceti, that forms on the surface of a fermenting liquid and converts ethanol to acetic acid, as in changing wine or cider to vinegar.
Also called mother of vinegar.
See also SCOBY.
Origin of mother
2
First recorded in 1450–1500; probably special use of mother1, but perhaps another word, akin to Dutch modder “dregs,” Middle Low German moder “swampy land”; see mud
Though a mother of a US citizen who had lived in the US for decades would typically be able to apply for deportation relief, Binam’s conviction and plea deal made her ineligible.
A woman in ICE detention says her fallopian tube was removed without her consent|Nicole Narea|September 17, 2020|Vox
In one spot, a mother in Texas shares the story of her son who has leukemia.
Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine; Biden says Americans shouldn’t trust Trump|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
In the same way my mother thought she knew what she would name me before I was born, I thought I knew where I would bury her before she died.
Dawn of the Heliocene - Issue 90: Something Green|Summer Praetorius|September 16, 2020|Nautilus
Quannah Chasing Horse Potts said Mallott never propositioned her and that neither she nor her mother spoke to Downing.
The Woman Propositioned by Alaska’s Former Lieutenant Governor Tells Her Story for the First Time|by Kyle Hopkins and Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News|September 10, 2020|ProPublica
Psychologists Don Moore, of the University of California, Berkeley, and Max Bazerman of Harvard, call it “the mother of all biases” in their textbook on decision making.
Use this tool to overcome the biggest decision-making mistake|David Yanofsky|September 6, 2020|Quartz
Taraji manages to bring an equal measure of truth to the mother in her character.
‘Empire’ Review: Hip-Hop Musical Chairs with an Insane Soap Opera Twist|Judnick Mayard|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But my sources, my young women and their mother, heroically held firm.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I thought about the mother, her fear of the dark, of the harm she feared might come to her daughters.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile two kids were taken from their mother when she flew back to the UK from Turkey.
Britain May Spy on Preschoolers Searching for Potential Jihadis|Nico Hines|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The mother's mood may be read at a glance: she is showing in one of a thousand tender ways her motherly affection for her child.
The Madonna in Art|Estelle M. Hurll
There at that time lived Thorstein, Egil's son, his mother's brother.
Laxdla Saga|Anonymous
He ate because his mother filled his plate; but if he had been questioned, he could scarcely have told what he was eating.
Baron Trigault's Vengeance|Emile Gaboriau
If I was to write to my mother,' says he, 'that my wife had left me, I believe it would be the death of her.
The Land of Long Ago|Eliza Calvert Hall
In vain my mother took a world of trouble to explain the thing to me.
The Essays of "George Eliot"|George Eliot
British Dictionary definitions for mother (1 of 2)
mother1
/ (ˈmʌðə) /
noun
a female who has given birth to offspring
(as modifier)a mother bird
(often capital, esp as a term of address)a person's own mother
a female substituting in the function of a mother
(often capital)mainlyarchaica term of address for an old woman
motherly qualities, such as maternal affectionit appealed to the mother in her
(as modifier)mother love
(in combination)mothercraft
a female or thing that creates, nurtures, protects, etc, something
(as modifier)mother church; mother earth
a title given to certain members of female religious ordersmother superior
Christian ScienceGod as the eternal Principle
(modifier)native or innatemother wit
offensive, taboo, slang, mainlyUS short for motherfucker offensive
be motherto pour the teaI'll be mother
the mother of all …informalthe greatest example of its kindthe mother of all parties
verb(tr)
to give birth to or produce
to nurture, protect, etc as a mother
Other words from mother
Related adjective: maternal
Derived forms of mother
mothering, noun
Word Origin for mother
Old English mōdor; compare Old Saxon mōdar, Old High German muotar, Latin māter, Greek mētēr
British Dictionary definitions for mother (2 of 2)
mother2
/ (ˈmʌðə) /
noun
a stringy slime containing various bacteria that forms on the surface of liquids undergoing acetous fermentation. It can be added to wine, cider, etc to promote vinegar formationAlso called: mother of vinegar
Derived forms of mother
mothery, adjective
Word Origin for mother
C16: perhaps from mother1, but compare Spanish madre scum, Dutch modder dregs, Middle Low German modder decaying object, mudde sludge
Compliment Your Mom With These Unique SynonymsThere are a host of synonyms for mother (and the roles mothers play) that we can use when we talk about the women who raise children. Click through to see a few!
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