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

Fran Dunphy, the coach at Joe Bryant’s alma mater La Salle, told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday that Bryant recently suffered a debilitating stroke. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024

See where your alma mater ranks What Indiana universities have the most attractive alumni? —Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 12 July 2024

In 2018, the organization donated $1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins to provide financial aid to undergraduate students at 82-year-old Bloomberg’s alma mater, per a press release from the university. —Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 9 July 2024

In a homecoming of sorts, the show introduces the artist at her alma mater via some of those earliest undergrad forays into abstraction. —Sarah Rose Sharp, ARTnews.com, 9 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fostering mother

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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