mother

1 of 4

noun (1)

moth·​er ˈmə-t͟hər 

1

a

: a female parent

She's the mother of three small children.

b(1)

: a woman in authority

specifically : the superior of a religious community of women

Mother Teresa

(2)

: an old or elderly woman

Mother Hubbard

2

: source, origin

necessity is the mother of invention

3

: maternal tenderness or affection

all my mother came into mine eyes and gave me up to tears

—William Shakespeare

4

[short for motherfucker] sometimes vulgar : motherfucker

5

: something that is an extreme or ultimate example of its kind especially in terms of scale

the mother of all construction projects

the mother of all ocean liners

motherhood

ˈmə-t͟hər-ˌhu̇d 

noun

motherless

ˈmə-t͟hər-ləs 

adjective

motherlessness noun

mother

2 of 4

adjective

1

a

: of, relating to, or being a mother

b

: bearing the relation of a mother

2

: derived from or as if from one's mother

3

: acting as or providing parental stock

—used without reference to sex

mother

3 of 4

verb

mothered; mothering ˈmə-t͟hə-riŋ 

ˈmət͟h-riŋ

transitive verb

1

a

: to give birth to

b

: to give rise to : produce

2

: to care for or protect like a mother

mother

4 of 4

noun (2)

plural mothers

1

: a slimy or gelatinous mass or film that contains bacteria, yeasts, or both, that forms in liquids during the process of fermentation, and that is often used as a starter (see starter entry 1 sense 3b) in the production of certain food and beverage products:

a

: mother of vinegar

After about 2 months, when the alcohol has acidified, or when a taste of the vinegar makes your mouth pucker, it's ready to strain and bottle. (You can save the mother to begin a new batch.)

—Tejal Rao

b

: SCOBY

A kombucha "mother" floats atop a vat of the fermented tea looking like a brown, gelatinous disk of bacteria and yeast, which it is.

—Melissa Nann Burke

The brand's approach includes straining out the mother, leaving the kombucha with more of the mouthfeel of traditional teas and other mainstream beverages.

—Dale Buss

2

: a dough of fermented flour and water used as a starter especially in baking : mother dough

Each day pieces are taken and used to create new loaves, and the mother is fed to survive.

—Sophie Witts

Synonyms

Adjective

• maternal
• motherly

Verb

• bear
• birth [chiefly dialect]
• deliver
• drop
• have
• produce

Examples of mother in a Sentence

Adjective

she often offered to babysit for friends, hoping to satisfy her mother urges until she had children of her own

Verb

She mothered two sons but no daughters.

I hope to mother at least one child.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Humans, however, evolved to be cooperative breeders, with the father and other non-mother caregivers, such as siblings and relatives, involved in child-rearing. —Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2013

Verb

Fifteen-month-old Helina was born on May 27, 2022, along with brothers Roman and Nicolas, to mother Amur tiger Zoya and father Pavel. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Aug. 2023

For Ann especially, Minh’s death feels sharp: The family matriarch had effectively mothered her into adulthood, as Huong was often absent, working several jobs to support them. —Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 4 July 2023

The first houses were named after these trans women who were mothering a community that was only for women. —José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 28 June 2023

Daughter of civil rights icons Medgar and Myrlie Evers pens personal letter to mother 09:03 The couple met while attending Alcorn A&M College in 1950. —Sarah Lynch Baldwin, Alicia Alford, Gisela Perez, CBS News, 12 June 2023

Tanisha is, in fact, just Davina’s little sister, although she is forced to mother her. —Kyesha Jennings, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2021

The slang term — without an article in front — is used by fans, brands and sometimes even mothers themselves. —Ben Kesslen, New York Times, 13 May 2023

However, their disappearance may have aroused in her that feeling to mother the motherless chick. —Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2023

Kela immediately took to mothering the feline alongside the rest of her brood. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2023

Noun

Stano argued that after the murder, Sydney broke a window and claimed an intruder had entered the home and attacked her mother. —Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 28 Sep. 2023

Then, near the end of that open call, Maryam came in with her mother. —Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2023

Dre’s mother, Wanda Salvatto, looks to explore the legacy of her son and his impact on the Bay Area before his untimely demise in the film. —Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 28 Sep. 2023

An Ohio woman, who had been kicked out college and flew into a murderous rage when her mother found out, was sentenced to at least 15 years behind bars on Thursday. —David K. Li, NBC News, 28 Sep. 2023

Teachers did not intervene, and the school administrators did not take corrective action, despite communication from Lior’s mother about the incidents, the lawsuit claimed. —Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 28 Sep. 2023

What is your favorite food? Eggplant Parmesan from my mother. —Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2023

The voice cast also includes Angelique Cabral as Queen Amaya, Victor Garber as Asha’s grandfather, Natasha Rothwell as Asha’s mother, as well as Jennifer Kumiyama, Evan Peters, Harvey Guillén and Ramy Youssef. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 27 Sep. 2023

Unlike my dad, whose mother returned to claim him after a while, Lily is never restored to her mother’s care. —Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (1), Adjective, and Verb

Middle English moder, from Old English mōdor; akin to Old High German muoter mother, Latin mater, Greek mētēr, Sanskrit mātṛ

Noun (2)

archaic mother dregs, lees; akin to Middle Dutch moeder dregs

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mother

• birth mother
• expectant mother
• earth mother
• den mother
• foster mother/father
• mother dough
• mother country
• mother cell
• learn (something) at one's mother's knee
• mother tongue
• mother ship
• mother sauce
• mother of vinegar
• mother-of-pearl
• mother-in-law apartment
• mother lode
• mother-in-law
• mother hen
• mother figure
• tied to one's mother's apron strings
• swear on one's mother's grave
• the mother of all
• single mother
• surrogate mother
• queen mother
• pollen mother cell
• mother wit
• necessity is the mother of invention
• mother-naked

See More

• birth mother
• expectant mother
• earth mother
• den mother
• foster mother/father
• mother dough
• mother country
• mother cell
• learn (something) at one's mother's knee
• mother tongue
• mother ship
• mother sauce
• mother of vinegar
• mother-of-pearl
• mother-in-law apartment
• mother lode
• mother-in-law
• mother hen
• mother figure
• tied to one's mother's apron strings
• swear on one's mother's grave
• the mother of all
• single mother
• surrogate mother
• queen mother
• pollen mother cell
• mother wit
• necessity is the mother of invention
• mother-naked

See More

Kids Definition

mother

1 of 3 noun

moth·​er ˈmət͟h-ər 

1

a

: a female parent

b

: a woman in authority

especially : a nun in charge of a convent

2

: an elderly woman

3

: cause entry 1 sense 1, origin

necessity is the mother of invention

motherhood

-ˌhu̇d 

noun

motherless

-ləs 

adjective

mother

2 of 3 adjective

1

a

: of or relating to a mother

mother love

b

: being in the relation of a mother to others

a mother country

2

: gotten from or as if from one's mother

mother

3 of 3 verb

mothered; mothering ˈmət͟h-(ə-)riŋ 

: to be or act as mother to

Medical Definition

mother

noun

moth·​er ˈmət͟h-ər 

: a female parent