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

Indiana University alum Mark Cuban's name has been back in the news lately with regard to the battle over his alma mater's student newspaper. —Jenny Porter Tilley, IndyStar, 17 Oct. 2025

However, new rules in the ACC this year are forcing attendees to sit tight, and Clemson is asking fans to wait to join the team on the field until after the alma mater, once the opposing team and staff have exited, to avoid hefty fines. —Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025

His black Kansas Jayhawks quarter-zip shirt, repping his alma mater, had matching blue stripes down the sleeves. —Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025

But this year, the celebration fell on the same weekend as the homecoming of Jackson State University, her alma mater. —Aishvarya Kavi, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fostering mother

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for alma mater

• annunciator
• imprimatur
• underwater
• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater

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