Main Entry: ¹moth·er

Pronunciation: \ˈmə-thər\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English moder, from Old English mōdor; akin to Old High German muoter mother, Latin mater, Greek mētēr, Sanskrit mātṛ

Date: before 12th century

1 a : a female parent b (1) : a woman in authority; specifically : the superior of a religious community of women (2) : an old or elderly woman
2 : source, origin <necessity is the mother of invention>
3 : maternal tenderness or affection
4 [short for motherfucker] sometimes vulgar : motherfucker
5 : something that is an extreme or ultimate example of its kind especially in terms of scale <the mother of all construction projects>

— moth·er·hood \-ˌhu̇d\ noun

— moth·er·less \-ləs\ adjective

— moth·er·less·ness noun