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mother tongue

 - 4 dictionary results

moth⋅er tongue

[muhth-er tuhng for 1; muhth-er tuhng for 2]
–noun
1. the language first learned by a person; native language.
2. mother language.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME moder tonge

mother language

–noun
a language from which another language is descended; parent language.
Also called mother tongue.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mother tongue  
n.  
  1. One's native language.

  2. A parent language.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Main Entry:  mother tongue1
Part of Speech:  n
Definition:  See native language
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2009 Dictionary.com, LLC
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