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

Whitley had made a name for himself at Georgia Southern, his alma mater. — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Michael Kovac/Getty Images The museum is located in Exposition Park in South Los Angeles, near Lucas’ alma mater, USC. — John Ross, Vanity Fair, 20 Sep. 2026

Located in downtown Los Angeles, across from Lucas’s alma mater, the University of Southern California, the museum is a five-story, 300,000-square-foot building featuring 35 galleries and more than 40,000 works. — Paul Chi, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2026

The $1 billion institution in Exposition Park near his alma mater the University of Southern California has become a life's work for him and his wife and co-founder, businesswoman Mellody Hobson. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 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