alma mater

noun al·ma ma·ter \ ˌal-mə-ˈmä-tər \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

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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Examples of alma mater in a Sentence

I visited my old alma mater last week.

Recent Examples of alma mater from the Web

My alma mater, Cedarville University in Ohio, committed a similar act in 2008.

— sarah jones, The New Republic, "The Invisible Free Speech Crisis," 10 Apr. 2018
Swaby watched this year’s student occupation with interest and says he is heartened student activism is alive and well at his alma mater.

— joe heim, Washington Post, "Echoes of the past reverberated in Howard University student occupation," 7 Apr. 2018
Having spent the first seven years of his coaching career at his alma mater, and the past five split between Georgetown and Georgia Tech, Hardy believes Loyola is also a place where athletes are also expected to be students.

— don markus, baltimoresun.com, "New Loyola men's basketball coach Tavaras Hardy is 'tremendous fit' for Greyhounds," 28 Mar. 2018
Johnson's alma mater Michigan State was the third seed in that regional, but lost to Syracuse in the round of 32.

— tania ganguli, latimes.com, "Stats don't lie — Brandon Ingram makes Lakers better on offense and defense," 24 Mar. 2018
The MobilizingMSDAlumni group, whose alma mater is Stoneman Douglas, has sponsored the trip for students, parents and chaperones.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Thousands of South Floridians depart for March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C.," 23 Mar. 2018
The park where the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School graduate spent her childhood had been transformed into a memorial — 17 crosses dotted the field, each representing a life lost during the tragedy at her alma mater.

— michael williams, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UCF students head to March for Our Lives in D.C.: 'This should never happen again'," 23 Mar. 2018
Pat McDonogh/Courier Journal Butch Beard’s fear is that his alma mater is not sufficiently scared.

— tim sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Former Cardinal great Butch Beard on scandals: 'Louisville is at everybody's mercy'," 21 Mar. 2018
Division 1: Westford After coaching her alma mater for 18 years, Capone led the Grey Ghosts (17-2-2) to their first Eastern Mass. title in program history.

— BostonGlobe.com, "2017-18 Girls' Soccer All-Scholastics," 29 Mar. 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

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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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