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

The film stars Denzel Washington as Jake Shuttlesworth, who must convince his basketball player son, Jesus (Ray Allen), to attend the governor's alma mater to get Jake's prison sentence reduced. —Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026

Guthrie went back to her alma mater The University of Arizona, greeting its president Suresh Garimella in one spoof and meeting sorority sisters at her own Pi Beta Phi in another skit. —Chris Kenning, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026

UConn has deep ties to Vukosa’s high school Christ the King, the alma mater of Huskies legends Tina Charles and Sue Bird as well as two-time NCAA champion guard Lorin Dixon. —Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026

The two women have more in common than just their alma mater, though. —Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 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