mother tongue

noun

Synonyms of mother tonguenext
1
: one's native language
2
: a language from which another language derives

Examples of mother tongue in a Sentence

although the anthropologist could speak the local language fairly well, she was always glad to find someone who shared her mother tongue
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms. Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026 In a different study, published in Nature, the scientists reported that native speakers of English, Spanish or Mandarin all showed these high-gamma responses to their mother tongues, but listening to foreign speech didn’t trigger the dips as strongly or consistently. Elise Cutts, Scientific American, 12 Feb. 2026 Work with people of different ages, backgrounds, perspectives, and mother tongues. Rachel Konrad, Time, 9 Dec. 2025 Each actress nails the comedic timing – and the accented English that flows with the cadence of their mother tongues. Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mother tongue

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mother tongue was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Mother tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mother%20tongue. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

mother tongue

noun
1
: one's native language
2
: a language from which another language develops
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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