alma mater

noun

al·​ma ma·​ter ˌal-mə-ˈmä-tər 

1

: a school, college, or university which one has attended or from which one has graduated

went to a class reunion at his alma mater

2

: the song or hymn of a school, college, or university

"Hey, Harvard boy, sing your alma mater!" shouted an obnoxious producer.

—Phil Kloer

Examples of alma mater in a Sentence

I visited my old alma mater last week.

Recent Examples on the Web

Damianides is a Naperville School District 203 graduate who returned to his alma mater to teach. — Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026

Klein served as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator last season before returning to his alma mater for his first head coaching job. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Nov. 2026

Ring of Honor women’s pure champion Deonna Purrazzo is set to return to her hometown in New Jersey to help raise money for her alma mater high school and raise awareness about the lack of funding for the schools in that area of the state. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026

What makes this even more amazing is that, of all the hundreds of high schools on Long Island, Jojo attends the Greenky’s alma mater. — Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 8 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fostering mother

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for alma mater

• imprimatur
• underwater
• auteur
• blotter
• cotter
• daughter
• hotter
• otter
• plotter
• rotter
• slaughter
• spotter

Kids Definition

alma mater

noun

al·​ma ma·​ter ˌal-mə-ˈmät-ər 

: a school, college, or university that one has attended

Etymology

Latin, literally "fostering mother," from almus "nourishing" (from alire "to nourish") and mater "mother" — related to alimentary, maternal