Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

mother lode

noun

Definition of mother lode

  1. 1 :  the principal vein or lode of a region

  2. 2 :  a principal source or supply

See mother lode defined for English-language learners

See mother lode defined for kids

From the M-W Editors

trump
Trump Claims New FBI Investigation May Reveal "Mother Lode" of Emails
election-word-trends-merriam
Trending Words from Election 2016
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
image1458426927
Good Words for Strong Flavors

Examples of mother lode in a Sentence

  1. the university has long been a mother lode of athletic talent, with many alumni joining the rarefied ranks of the professionals

First Known Use of mother lode

1863

mother lode Synonyms

Synonyms
argosy, cornucopia, gold mine, mine, treasure trove, wellspring
Related Words
armory, repository, stockpot, store, storehouse, treasure-house; cache, hoard, stash; bonanza, Golconda, gravy train, honeypot
Near Antonyms
black hole, sinkhole

MOTHER LODE Defined for English Language Learners

mother lode

noun

Definition of mother lode for English Language Learners

  • : the place where the largest amount of gold, silver, etc., in a particular area can be found

Learn More about mother lode

  1. See words that rhyme with mother lode Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mother lode

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up mother lode? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

perfunctory

play

done merely as a duty

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

  2. white nationalist, white supremacist Trending in 2017

  3. bereft "Lacking something needed, wanted, or expected"

  4. impanel "To choose people to serve on a jury"

  5. cosmopolitan "Worldly"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

mother lode

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

  • time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
  • Which came first?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

dog-covering-face
Don't Let Reading This Be Another 'Coulda' 'Shoulda' 'Woulda'

PSA: They're three separate words.

image1458426927
Food Words for Strong Flavors

A tasting menu of vivid flavor descriptions

alt-5993066a3afad
What's the Plural of 'Maitre d''?

Use this word to confuse a French speaker.

alt-598dca6eb95f8
Running After the History of 'Lackey'

Are lackeys lacking something?

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz
name-more-food
Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Citation
Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game
Examples: mother lode in a Sentence