allomother

noun

al·lo·moth·er | \ ˈa-lə-ˌmə-t͟hər

plural allomothers

Definition of allomother

: an individual other than the biological mother of an offspring that performs the functions of a mother (as by caring for an infant temporarily) The allomother suckled the second infant for two and one-half minutes before it was retrieved by its own mother. —Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, The Langurs of Abu: Female and Male Strategies of Reproduction, 1980 … by five months of age, babies spend more time with allomothers than with their own mother … —Claudia R. Valeggia, in Substitute Parents: Biological and Social Perspectives on Alloparenting, 2009

Other words from allomother

allomother verb, transitive + intransitive allomothers; allomothered; allomothering

… older sisters are readily available to allomother their younger siblings … —Bernard Chapais, in Cooperation in Primates and Humans: Mechanisms and Evolution, 2006 Among elephants, allomothering practice did not appear to compensate for direct experience with an offspring. —Phyllis C. Lee, Animal Behaviour, February 1987