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

Kuehl pivoted to academia, eventually becoming an associate dean of students at her alma mater, UCLA, before earning a law degree from Harvard in 1978 at age 34. — Sophie Clausen, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026

Lupoi, the former Oregon defensive coordinator, didn’t return to his alma mater to preserve cozy Bay Area tradition. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026

Twenty years later, Hughes would shoot some of his films at his alma mater, which would serve as the fictitious Shermer High School in the hits The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026

For four years, Cristobal has handled his present-day business to get his alma mater back to national relevance. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 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