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

Sanders has notably been linked to his alma mater, Florida State, amid rumors that Mike Norvell may be relieved of his duties. —Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025

For most of Elvis' teenage years, the family rented an apartment at the Lauderdale Courts, walking distance from what would be Elvis' alma mater, Humes High School. —John Beifuss, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025

As the former coach for 10 years at his alma mater, Notre Dame, Poulin would tell Lindbergh’s story to the young adults every year. —Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025

Carol Burnett has unloaded a massive haul of her most coveted awards, handing them off to her alma mater in conjunction with an endowment to support aspiring musical theater performers. —Karu F Daniels, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025

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