mother
Syllables: moth·er/ˈmʌð.ə//ˈmʌðɚ/
mother noun: a female parent, especially of a human; a female who parents a child (which she has given birth to, adopted, fostered, etc). Also the alternative form of moth-er.
Noun (1)
mother (plural mothers)
- A female parent, especially of a human; a female who parents a child (which she has given birth to, adopted, fostered, etc).
- I am visiting my mother any moment.
- The lioness was a mother of four cubs.
- A pregnant female; mother-to-be; a female who gestates a baby.
- Nutrients and oxygen obtained by the mother are conveyed to the fetus.
- The antiabortion iconography in the last decade featured the fetus but never the mother.1991, Susan Faludi, The Undeclared War Against American Women
- A female who donates a fertilized egg or donates a body cell which has resulted in a clone.
- Synonyms:
- biological mother
- A female ancestor.
- And Adã called his wyfe Heua⸝ becauſe ſhe was the mother of all that lyveth1530 January 27 (Gregorian calendar), W[illiam] T[yndale], transl., [The Pentateuch] (Tyndale Bible), Malborow [Marburg], Hesse: […] Hans Luft [actually Antwerp: Johan Hoochstraten], →OCLC, Genesis...
- A source or origin.
- Near-synonym: matrix
- The Mediterranean was mother to many cultures and languages.
- Synonyms:
- matrix
- Something that is the greatest or most significant of its kind. (See mother of all.)
- Near-synonym: Big One
- The great duel, the mother of all battles has begun.1991, January 17, Saddam Hussein, Broadcast on Baghdad state radio.
- Synonyms:
- Big One, father, grandfather, granddaddy
- A title of respect for one's mother-in-law.
- Mother Smith, meet my cousin, Doug Jones.
- A term of address for one's wife.
- A few minutes later we were all seated comfortably, Uncle Dave and mother, as he called his wife, myself and my husband, in the split-bottomed wooden chairs, on the vine-covered porch. / “Is Bethel a Methodist Church?” I asked. / Uncle Dave looked quizzically at his wife. “Do you hear that...1887 April 2, E. V. Wilson, “Uncle Dave”, in The Current, volume 7, number 172, page 432
- On some days as he got near the house he would call out to his wife: / “Almighty Moses, Martha! who left the sprinkler on the grass?” / On other days he would call to her from quite a little distance off: “Hullo, mother! Got any supper for a hungry man?”1922, Stephen Leacock, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, page 152
- Any elderly woman, especially within a particular community.
- Near-synonyms: matron, matriarch
- Any person or entity which performs mothering.
- Judges 5:7, KJV.
The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel. - Galatians 4:26, KJV.
Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
- Judges 5:7, KJV.
- Dregs, lees; a stringy, mucilaginous or film- or membrane-like substance (consisting of a culture of acetobacters) which develops in fermenting alcoholic liquids (such as wine, or cider), and turns the alcohol into acetic acid with the help of oxygen from the air.
- pieces of mother ; adding mother to vinegar
- A locomotive which provides electrical power for a slug.
Show 5 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
- The principal piece of an astrolabe, into which the others are fixed.
- The female superior or head of a religious house; an abbess, etc.
- Hysterical passion; hysteria; the uterus.
- O how this mother ſwels vp toward my hart[…]c. 1603–1606 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] His True Chronicle Historie of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Nathaniel Butter, […]...
- T.V. dicusseth tumors and mollifieth them, helps inflammations, rising of the mother and the epilepsie being burnt.1665, Robert Lovel, Pambotanologia sive Enchiridion botanicum, page 484
- Synonyms:
- metro-
- A disc produced from the electrotyped master, used in manufacturing phonograph records.
- A person who is admired, respected, or looked up to within a particular fandom or community; see also: serve cunt
Verb
mother (third-person singular simple present mothers, present participle mothering, simple past and past participle mothered)
- To give birth to or produce (as its female parent) a child. (Compare father.)
- Q's sister, Debbie, had mothered two kids by the time she was twenty, with neither of the fathers in sight.1998, Nina Revoyr, The Necessary Hunger: A Novel, Macmillan, →ISBN, page 101
- Zilpah, Leah's maid, mothered two sons for Jacob, Gad and Asher. Leah became pregnant once more and had two more sons, Issachar, and Zebulun, and a daughter, Dinah, thus Leah had seven children for Jacob.2010, Lynette Joseph-Bani, The Biblical Journey of Slavery: From Egypt to the Americas, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 51
- To treat as a mother would be expected to treat her child; to nurture.
- She had seen fewer years than any of us, but she was of such superb Evehood and simplicity that she mothered us from the beginning.c. 1900, O. Henry, An Adjustment of Nature
- To cause to contain mother (“that substance which develops in fermenting alcohol and turns it into vinegar”).
- mothered oil, mothered vinegar, mothered wine
- To develop mother.
- Iron rusted, paper cracked, cream soured and vinegar mothered.1968, Evelyn Berckman, The Heir of Starvelings, page 172
- Your lamp
was always polished, wick
trimmed, waiting; yet the bridegroom
somehow never came. Summer dust
settled in the vineyard. Grapes
were harvested; your parents
crushed and pressed them, but the wine
mothered.2013, Richard Dauenhauer, Benchmarks: New and Selected Poems 1963-2013, page 94
Noun (2)
mother (plural mothers)
- Motherfucker.
- (Burn, baby, burn) Disco inferno / (Burn, baby, burn) Burn the mother down1976, Leroy Green, Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey, “Disco Inferno”, in Disco Inferno, performed by The Trammps, track 4
- Stick a votive candle in it and fire that mother up, right?1989 December 19, Slim Randles, “Entrepreneur Hopes Luminaria Delivery Service Catches On”, in The Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, New Mexico, page 2
- A striking example. (Appears as "mother of a(n) __".)
- November, 1943 If ever, Cortney Anders promised himself, I get out of this mother of a thunderstorm there is a thing I will do if it is the last act of my life.1964, Richard L. Newhafer, The last tallyho
- Some hot night there's gonna be one mother of a riot down here. Just wait." He'd been saying the same thing since 1958, five years of crying wolf.1980, Chester Anderson, Fox & hare: the story of a Friday night, page 5
Proper noun capitalized: Mother
Mother
- One's mother.
- One of the triune goddesses of the Lady in Wicca alongside the Crone and Maiden and representing a woman older than a girlish Maiden but younger than an aged Crone.
- ...different stages of life as represented by our Lady as Maiden, Mother, and Crone, as well as our Lord as Master, Father, and Sage.2002, A.J. Drew, Wicca for Couples: Making Magick Together, page 90
- The Lady is often thought of as having three aspects: Maiden, Mother, and Crone.2004, Aurora Greenbough, Cathy Jewell, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spells and Spellcraft, page 9
Noun (3) capitalized: Mother
Mother (plural Mothers)
- A title given to a nun or a priestess.
- Mother Teresa Gertrude O’Sullivan, then Provincial, did not give higher education for Loreto nuns the same priority as had Mothers Gonzaga and Stanislaus.2009, Mary Ryllis Clark, Loreto in Australia, University of New South Wales Press, →ISBN, page 129
- A title given to the personification of a force of nature or abstract concept, such as Mother Nature, Mother Russia, or Mother Earth.
Also used as
mother is also the alternative form of moth-er.
mother meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
mother in Hindi
- female (human) who gives birth to or parents a child
- माता mātā, मां mā̃, मादर mādar, वालिदा vālidā
mother in Tamil
- female parent of an animal
- தாய் tāy
- female (human) who gives birth to or parents a child
- அம்மா ammā, தாய் tāy, அன்னை aṉṉai, யாய் yāy, ஆய் āy
- any elderly woman
- அம்மா ammā
- any person or entity which performs mothering
- தாய் tāy
mother in Marathi
- female (human) who gives birth to or parents a child
- आई āī, माता mātā
mother in Urdu
- female (human) who gives birth to or parents a child
- ماتا mātā, ماں mā̃, مادَر mādar, والِدَہ vālida
More languagesFewer languages
- mother in Bengali
- আম্মা amma, আম্মু ammu, মাতা mata, মা ma
- mother in Telugu
- అమ్మ amma, తల్లి talli
- mother in Malayalam
- അമ്മ amma, മാതാവ് mātāvŭ, തള്ള taḷḷa, ഭാര്യാമാതവ് bhāryāmātavŭ
- mother in Kannada
- ತಾಯಿ tāyi
- mother in Punjabi
- ਮਾਂ mā̃, ਮਾਤਾ mātā
- mother in Gujarati
- મા mā
- mother in Odia
- ମା mā
- mother in Sanskrit
- अम्बा f ^((please verify)) मातर ambā, अक्का akkā, मातृ mātṛ
- mother in Sinhala
- අම්මා ammā, මාතෘ mātr̥
- mother in Assamese
- মা ma, আই ai
- mother in Nepali
- आमा āmā
- mother in Pashto
- مور mor, اتکو atko, اتکړه atkaṛa
- mother in Tagalog
- nánay, iná, manang
- mother in Arabic
- أُمّ ʔumm, وَالِدَة wālida, مَامَا māmā, ماما mama
- mother in Malay
- ibu, emak
- mother in Indonesian
- induk, ibu, bunda
- mother in Persian
- مَادَر mādar, وَالِدَه wālida, نَنَه nana, آبَه āba
- mother in Thai
- แม่ mɛ̂ɛ, มารดา maan-daa
- mother in Vietnamese
- má, mẹ, mợ, u
- mother in Myanmar
- အမေ a.me, အမိ a.mi., မိခင် mi.hkang, မေမေ meme
- Sindhi
- ماء māʾu, اما āmā
- Dhivehi
- މަނމަ manma
- Kashmiri
- موج mōj, مٲج mạ̄j
- Dzongkha
- ཨའི a'i
Examples of mother in a sentence
- My sister-in-law has just become a mother for the first time.
- He had something of his mother in him.
- He had something of his mother in him, but this was because he realized that in the end only her love was unconditional, and in gratitude he had emulated her.1988, Robert Ferro, Second Son:
- She is approaching the time when she will become a mother for the first time (or become a mother again).2005, Trudelle Thomas, Spirituality in the Mother Zone: Staying Centered, Finding God, Paulist Press, →ISBN, page 41:
- In many countries, up to 1 in 5 new mothers experience a mood or anxiety disorder.2024 May 1, Katia Hetter, “Why is a mother’s mental health so important? A doctor explains”, in CNN:
- To clone a boy, it is necessary to have a man as a DNA donor, a woman as an egg donor, and may be another woman as a surrogate mother.2006, Multiplicity Yours: Cloning, Stem Cell Research, and Regenerative Medicine, →ISBN:
Synonyms of mother
- biological mother
- matrix
- Big One
- father
- grandfather
- granddaddy
- matron
- matriarch
- metro-
- Mom
29 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Antonyms
Forms of mother
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | mothers |
| alternative Northern England Scotland | mither |
| alternative form | mutha |
| plural | Mothers |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | mothers |
| present participle | mothering |
| past participle | mothered |
| past | mothered |
Origin of mother
From Middle English moder, from Old English mōdor, from Proto-West Germanic *mōder, from Proto-Germanic *mōdēr, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr. Doublet of Madeira, mata, mater, matrix, and matter. Some have proposed that the "dregs" sense is from Middle Dutch modder (“filth”), from Proto-Germanic *muþraz (“sediment”), but modder is not known in this meaning. On the other hand, words for "mother" have developed the secondary sense of "dregs" in several Romance and Germanic languages; compare Dutch moer, French mère de vinaigre, German Essigmutter, Italian madre, Medieval Latin māter, and Spanish madre.
From Middle English modren, from the noun (see above).
Clipping of motherfucker.
Words formed from mother
- adoptive mother
- allomother
- and his mother
- antimother
- baby mother
- babymother
- beemother
- bee mother
- be mother
- biomother
- birth mother
- birthmother
- bonus mother
- brother from another mother
- bunny mother
- camp mother
- co-mother
- co-mother-in-law
- corn mother
- cow-mother
- den mother
- do you kiss your mother with that mouth
- drag mother
- earth mother
- eldermother
- eldmother
- everybody and his mother
- everybody and their mother
- everyone and his mother
- everyone and their mother
- face only a mother could love
- face that only a mother could love
- foremother
- foster mother
- founding mother
- fuck your mother
- godmother
- go fuck your mother
- gold star mother
- go tell your mother she wants you
- grandmother
- great-grandmother
- holy mother of based
- housemother
- kangaroo mother care
- like a mother hawk
- manther
- megaspore mother cell
- mermother
- milf
- milk mother
- milk-mother
- mismother
- mother abscess
- mother and baby unit
- mother-bird
- motherboard
- mother bomb
- mother cell
- Mother Christmas
Phrases with mother
- mother up
- mother hen
- mother wit
- Holy Mother
- mother city
- mother hens
- mother hive
- mother load
- mother lode
- mother ship
- mother wits
- Mother Xmas
108 more phrasesFewer phrases
- your mother
- Great Mother
- mother bombs
- Mother Carey
- mother dough
- Mother Earth
- mother hives
- mother lodes
- mother may I
- mother naked
- mother plant
- mother sauce
- mother ships
- mother world
- mother wound
- queen mother
- stage mother
- tiger mother
- mother church
- mother cities
- mother doughs
- mother figure
- mother fucker
- mother henned
- mother liquor
- mother of all
- Mother of God
- mother plants
- mother sauces
- Mother Teresa
- mother tongue
- mother worlds
- Mother Xmases
- single mother
- mother country
- mother figures
- mother fuckers
- mother goddess
- mother henning
- mother heroine
- Mother Hubbard
- mother liquors
- Mother Monster
- mother of coal
- Mother Teresas
- Mother Theresa
- mother tongues
- welfare mother
- mother churches
- mother heroines
- Mother Hubbards
- mother language
- Mother of Mercy
- mother of pearl
- mother of Satan
- mother superior
- Mother Theresas
- mother abscesses
- mother countries
- mother goddesses
- mother languages
- mother of chapel
- mother of pearls
- mother superiors
- Sorrowful Mother
- surrogate mother
- Mother of Sorrows
- mother of vinegar
- Great Earth Mother
- Holy Mother of God
- Mother Christmases
- mother of millions
- Mother Christmasses
- Mother of all Bombs
- mother of thousands
- refrigerator mother
- sweet mother of God
- Mother Carey's geese
- Mother Carey's goose
- Mother of Presidents
- mother of the nation
- mother and baby units
- Mother Hubbard clause
- Mother of all Budgets
- sweet mother of Jesus
- sweet mother of Moses
- sweet mother of pearl
- megaspore mother cells
- Mother Carey's chicken
- Mother Hubbard clauses
- she's the cat's mother
- Mother Carey's chickens
- only a mother could love
- sweet Mary mother of God
- patience of Mother Teresa
- brothers from another mother
- who's 'she', the cat's mother
- faces only a mother could love
- faces that only a mother could love
- Mother Thumb and her four daughters
- necessity is the mother of invention
- you kiss your mother with that mouth
- necessity is the mother of innovation
- my very educated mother just served us nachos
- my very educated mother just served us noodles
- my very educated mother just served us nine pizzas
- my very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas
- my very educated mother just served us nine pumpkins
Words that rhyme with mother
Questions about mother
- What does mother mean?
- Mother means a female parent, especially of a human; a female who parents a child (which she has given birth to, adopted, fostered, etc).
- What is mother in Hindi?
- Mother in Hindi is माता (mātā), मां (mā̃), मादर (mādar). See Mother meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use mother in a sentence?
- My sister-in-law has just become a mother for the first time.
- What part of speech is mother?
- Mother can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce mother?
- Mother is pronounced /ˈmʌð.ə/ (UK).
- What is the plural of mother?
- The plural of mother is mothers.
Words near mother in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: mother (page history and authors); Mother (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-uk-mother.ogg, en-us-mother.ogg, en-au-mother.ogg.
Cite this entry: “mother.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/mother. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.