alma mater

noun al·ma ma·ter \ ˌal-mə-ˈmä-tər \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Examples: alma mater in a Sentence

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

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See alma mater defined for kids

Examples of alma mater in a Sentence

I visited my old alma mater last week.

Recent Examples of alma mater from the Web

Moreau said that the fact LSU's football team in the late 1950s became top heavy with local Baton Rouge players from Istrouma, Baton Rouge High and Moreau's alma mater University High created a homegrown pride.

— ron higgins, NOLA.com, "Billy Cannon was more than just a Heisman Trophy winner," 24 May 2018
Berenson returned to his alma mater in 1984 and led the program back to national prominence.

— george sipple, Detroit Free Press, "Why Michigan's Red Berenson is auctioning off personal hockey collection," 19 May 2018
Anthony doesn’t just love Arm & Hammer for its efforts to give back to her alma mater.

— kaitlyn frey, PEOPLE.com, "La La Anthony Says Kylie Jenner Has Motherhood 'Down Pat'," 11 May 2018
Homecoming is traditionally a time for alums to return to their alma mater, kick it with old friends and pay respect to the institutions that (presumably) meant so much to them as graduates.

— felice león, The Root, "HBCU SpringComing Brings Black-School Spirit to New York City," 23 Apr. 2018
She's also taught sociology, and expects to return to her alma mater to teach introduction to sociology in the fall.

— michael dumas, AL.com, "Extraordinary! By Design shows clients how to spread the learning," 15 Apr. 2018
Because Dixon’s return to his alma mater was all about turning the program around, both for Dixon and for those who helped lure him back to Fort Worth.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram, "How Jamie Dixon's return to Fort Worth secured TCU's place in the national spotlight | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 15 Mar. 2018
Mayor Ron Nirenberg returned to his alma mater Monday to talk about the arc of his political career and its underpinnings that are rooted at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.

— josh baugh, San Antonio Express-News, "In speech at alma mater, Nirenberg credits school for his political metamorphasis," 12 Mar. 2018
Maddox led the junior varsity to a district title in his only season before moving to his alma mater, St. Pius X. Maddox led the Panthers to a state championship in 1978.

— alvaro montano, Houston Chronicle, "Former Jersey Village baseball coach reflects on hall of fame induction," 20 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alma mater.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of alma mater

Latin, fostering mother

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1650

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Education Terms

baccalaureate, colloquium, corequisite, dissertation, monograph, pedant, practicum, survey course, thesis

ALMA MATER Defined for English Language Learners

alma mater

noun

: the school, college, or university that someone attended

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See words that rhyme with alma mater Britannica English: Translation of alma mater for Arabic speakers

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