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mother

 - 11 dictionary results
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moth⋅er

1  [muhth-er]
Use mother in a Sentence
–noun
1. a female parent.
2. (often initial capital letter) one's female parent.
3. a mother-in-law, stepmother, or adoptive mother.
4. a term of address for a female parent or a woman having or regarded as having the status, function, or authority of a female parent.
5. a term of familiar address for an old or elderly woman.
6. mother superior.
7. a woman exercising control, influence, or authority like that of a mother: to be a mother to someone.
8. the qualities characteristic of a mother, as maternal affection: It is the mother in her showing itself.
9. something or someone that gives rise to or exercises protecting care over something else; origin or source.
10. (in disc recording) a mold from which stampers are made.
–adjective
11. being a mother: a mother bird.
12. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a mother: mother love.
13. derived from or as if from one's mother; native: his mother culture.
14. 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.
–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.
—Idiom
19. mother of all, the greatest or most notable example of: the mother of all mystery novels.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME mother, moder, OE mōdor; c. D moeder, G Mutter, ON mōthir, L māter, Gk mtēr, Skt 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

Synonyms:
17. tend, nurse, mind, raise.
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moth⋅er

2  [muhth-er]
–noun
a stringy, mucilaginous substance consisting of various bacteria, esp. 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; prob. special use of mother 1 , but perh. another word, akin to D modder dregs, MLG moder swampy land; see mud

moth⋅er

3  [muhth-er]
–noun Slang: Vulgar.
1. motherfucker.
2. 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. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To mother
moth·er 1   (mŭth'ər)   
n.  

    1. A female person who is pregnant with or gives birth to a child.

    2. A female person whose egg unites with a sperm, resulting in the conception of a child.

    3. A woman who adopts a child.

    4. A woman who raises a child.

    5. A mother superior.

    6. Used as a form of address for such a woman.

  2. A female parent of an animal.

  3. A female ancestor.

  4. A woman who holds a position of authority or responsibility similar to that of a mother: a den mother.

  5. Roman Catholic Church

    1. A mother superior.

    2. Used as a form of address for such a woman.

  6. A woman who creates, originates, or founds something: "the discovery of radium, which made Marie Curie mother to the Atomic Age" (Alden Whitman).

  7. A creative source; an origin: Philosophy is the mother of the sciences.

  8. Used as a title for a woman respected for her wisdom and age.

  9. Maternal love and tenderness: brought out the mother in her.

  10. The biggest or most significant example of its kind: the mother of all battles.

  11. Vulgar Slang Something considered extraordinary, as in disagreeableness, size, or intensity.

adj.  

  1. Relating to or being mother.

  2. Characteristic of a mother: mother love.

  3. Being the source or origin: the mother church.

  4. Derived from or as if from one's mother; native: one's mother language.

v.   moth·ered, moth·er·ing, moth·ers

v.   tr.

  1. To give birth to; create and produce.

  2. To watch over, nourish, and protect maternally.

v.   intr.
To act or serve as a mother.

[Middle English moder, mother, from Old English mōdor; see māter- in Indo-European roots. N., sense 10, translation of Iraqi Arabic 'umm. N., sense 11, short for motherfucker.]
moth·er 2   (mŭth'ər)   
n.  A stringy slime composed of yeast cells and bacteria that forms on the surface of fermenting liquids and is added to wine or cider to start the production of vinegar.

[Probably alteration (influenced by mother1) of obsolete Dutch moeder, from Middle Dutch, probably from moeder, mother of children; see māter- in Indo-European roots.]
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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Slang Dictionary
mother

  1. n.
    marijuana. (Drugs. See also mother nature('s).) : She grows her own mother in a pot in her room.
  2. 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?

  3. 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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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 1601; mother earth is from 1586. Mother tongue "one's native language" first attested c.1380. Mother's Day set by act of Congress, May 9, 1908. Mother of all ________ 1991, is Gulf War slang, from Saddam Hueein's use in ref. to the coming battle; it is an Arabic idiom, 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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: moth·er
Pronunciation: 'm&th-&r
Function: noun
: a female parent
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

mother moth·er (mŭ&phonth;'ər)
n.

  1. A woman who conceives, gives birth to, or raises and nurtures a child.

  2. A female parent of an animal.

  3. A structure, such as a mother cell, from which other similar bodies are formed.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Computing Dictionary

mother
parent

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Idioms & Phrases

mother

In addition to the idiom beginning with mother, also see necessity is the mother of invention.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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