mother tongue
[ muhth -er tuhng for 1; muhth -er tuhng for 2 ]
/ ˈmʌð ər ˈtʌŋ for 1; ˈmʌð ər ˌtʌŋ for 2 /
noun
the language first learned by a person; native language.
Origin of mother tongue
1350–1400; Middle English
moder tonge
Words nearby mother tongue
mother ship,
mother shipton,
mother spleenwort,
mother superior,
mother teresa,
mother tongue,
mother wit,
mother yaw,
mother's boy,
mother's day,
mother's helper
Example sentences from the Web for mother tongue
British Dictionary definitions for mother tongue
mother tongue
noun
the language first learned by a child
a language from which another has evolved