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

Glover will also work full-time at his alma mater, the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Nick Bolton Like Johnson, linebacker Nick Bolton returned to his alma mater. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026

The exchange followed a clip of El-Sayed, a University of Michigan graduate, joking about his alma mater’s football program. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

My alma mater, Suffolk University, was then located between the Boston Public Library and the Boston Athenaeum. — David Shribman, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct. 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