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

Though former head coach Kyra Elzy was still at the helm at Kentucky at the point of O’Neal’s recruitment, O’Neal named UK as one of eight finalists in high school; the list also included Arizona State, Baylor, UCLA, Georgia Tech, LSU (her father’s alma mater) and Tennessee. —Caroline Makauskas, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026

Some are enrolled at the Loop schools just a short walk away — like Roosevelt, his dad’s alma mater. —Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026

Last year, the Netflix cofounder donated $50 million to his alma mater Bowdoin College to establish the Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026

Kiesau is working with holdover quarterbacks coach Bobby Fresques, a mainstay with his alma mater as coach since 2019. —Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fostering mother

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for alma mater

• annunciator
• imprimatur
• underwater
• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater

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