mother

bearing a relation like that of a mother, as in being the origin, source, or protector: the mother company and its affiliates; the mother computer and its network of terminals.

00:10

Mother is one of our favorite verbs.

So is kibitz. Does it mean:

to spend time idly; loaf.

chat, to converse

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verb (used with object)

15.

to be the mother of; give origin or rise to.

16.

to acknowledge oneself the author of; assume as one's own.

17.

to care for or protect like a mother; act maternally toward.

verb (used without object)

18.

to perform the tasks or duties of a female parent; act maternally: a woman with a need to mother.

Idioms

19.

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

Origin:
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

Related forms

moth·er·less, adjective

moth·er·less·ness, noun

un·moth·ered, adjective

Synonyms
17. tend, nurse, mind, raise.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

a stringy, mucilaginous substance consisting of various bacteria, especially Mycoderma aceti, that forms on the surface of a fermenting liquid and causes fermentation when added to other liquids, as in changing wine or cider to vinegar.

Also called mother of vinegar.

Origin:
1530–40; probably special use of mother¹, but perhaps another word, akin to Dutch modder dregs, Middle Low German moder swampy land; see mud

noun Slang: Vulgar.

motherfucker.

a person or thing that is very large, powerful, or impressive.

Origin:
1945–50; euphemistic shortening

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To mother

Collins

World English Dictionary

mother¹ (ˈmʌðə)

—n
1.	a. a female who has given birth to offspring
	b. (as modifier): a mother bird
2.	(often capital, esp as a term of address) a person's own mother
3.	a female substituting in the function of a mother
4.	archaic chiefly (often capital) a term of address for an old woman
5.	a. motherly qualities, such as maternal affection: it appealed to the mother in her
	b. (as modifier): mother love
	c. (in combination): mothercraft
6.	a. a female or thing that creates, nurtures, protects, etc, something
	b. (as modifier): mother church; mother earth
7.	a title given to certain members of female religious orders: mother superior
8.	Christian Science God as the eternal Principle
9.	(modifier) native or innate: mother wit
10.	offensive, taboo, slang chiefly (US) short for motherfucker
11.	be mother to pour the tea: I'll be mother
12.	informal the mother of all … the greatest example of its kind: the mother of all parties

—vb
13.	to give birth to or produce
14.	to nurture, protect, etc as a mother

Related: maternal

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

'mothering¹

—n

mother² (ˈmʌðə)

—n
	Also called: mother of vinegar 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

[C16: perhaps from mother¹, but compare Spanish madre scum, Dutch modder dregs, Middle Low German modder decaying object, mudde sludge]

'mothery²

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

mother

O.E. modor, from P.Gmc. *mothær (cf. O.S. modar, Dan. moder, Du. moeder, Ger. Mutter), from PIE *mater- (cf. L. mater, O.Ir. mathir, Lith. mote, Skt. matar-, Gk. meter, O.C.S. mati). Spelling with -th- dates from early 16c., though that pronunciation is probably older. The verb meaning "to take

care of" is first recorded 1863. Mother nature first attested c.1600; mother earth is from 1580s. Mother tongue "one's native language" first attested late 14c. Mother of all ________ 1991, is Gulf War slang, from Saddam Hueein's use in reference to the coming battle; it is an Arabic idiom (as well as an English one), cf. Ayesha, second wife of Muhammad, known as Mother of Believers. Mother Carey's chickens is late 18c. sailors' nickname for storm petrels, or for snowflakes. Mother lode attested by c.1882, from mining.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

mother moth·er (mŭ&phonth;'ər)
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.

Slang Dictionary

mother definition

n.
marijuana. (Drugs. See also mother nature('s).) : She grows her own mother in a pot in her room.
n.
a drug dealer; one's own drug dealer upon whom one depends. (Drugs.) : If you can't trust your mother, who can you trust?
Go to motherfucker (sense 3). :

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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