Idioms for mother

    mother of all, the greatest or most notable example of: the mother of all mystery novels.

Origin of mother

1
before 900; Middle English mother, moder, Old English mōdor; cognate with Dutch moeder, German Mutter, Old Norse mōthir, Latin māter, Greek mḗtēr, Sanskrit mātar-. As in father, th was substituted for d, possibly on the model of brother

SYNONYMS FOR mother

17 tend, nurse, mind, raise.

OTHER WORDS FROM mother

moth·er·less, adjective moth·er·less·ness, noun un·moth·ered, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for motherless

British Dictionary definitions for motherless (1 of 3)

motherless
/ (ˈmʌðələs) /

adjective

not having a mother

adverb

Australian informal (intensifier) motherless broke

British Dictionary definitions for motherless (2 of 3)

mother 1
/ (ˈmʌðə) /

noun

verb (tr)

to give birth to or produce
to nurture, protect, etc as a mother

Other words from mother

Related adjective: maternal

Derived forms of mother

mothering, noun

Word Origin for mother

Old English mōdor; compare Old Saxon mōdar, Old High German muotar, Latin māter, Greek mētēr

British Dictionary definitions for motherless (3 of 3)

mother 2
/ (ˈmʌðə) /

noun

a stringy slime containing various bacteria that forms on the surface of liquids undergoing acetous fermentation. It can be added to wine, cider, etc to promote vinegar formation Also called: mother of vinegar

Derived forms of mother

mothery, adjective

Word Origin for mother

C16: perhaps from mother 1, but compare Spanish madre scum, Dutch modder dregs, Middle Low German modder decaying object, mudde sludge

Medical definitions for motherless

mother
[ mŭðər ]

n.

A woman who conceives, gives birth to, or raises and nurtures a child.
A female parent of an animal.
A structure, such as a mother cell, from which other similar bodies are formed.

Idioms and Phrases with motherless

mother