mother

Pronunciation: /ˈmʌðɚ/

Reading level: easy

Estimated CEFR level: A1 — Beginner

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
  2. noun a stringy slimy substance consisting of yeast cells and bacteria; forms during fermentation and is added to cider or wine to produce vinegar
  3. noun a term of address for an elderly woman

Etymology

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.

In classic literature

Synonyms

female parent

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
parent
Narrower (hyponyms)
mater, ma, supermom, puerpera, mother-in-law, quadripara
Opposite (antonyms)
father

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