I. ˈməthə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English moder, from Old English mōdor; akin to Old High German muoter mother, Old Norse mōthir, Latin mater, Greek mētēr, Sanskrit mātṛ
1.
a. : a woman who has given birth to a child : a female parent
a mother of five
food for the nursing mother
in the union of the sexual cells the chromosomes coming from the mother — S.F.Mason
in chimpanzees the female's functions as mother and mate alternate in stretches of time — Weston La Barre
b. : one related to another in a way paralleling or suggesting the relation of mother to child: as
(1) : one to whom a filial affection and respect are usually due : adoptive mother : stepmother , mother-in-law
(2) : a woman having authority or dignity like that of a mother
because these class mothers proved so helpful — Gertrude H. Hildreth
c. : an elderly woman — often used preceding the surname
Mother Hubbard
2.
a. : one that has produced or nurtured something : parent stock : source
although nature is our mother , she is not a complete guide to human conduct — Brooks Atkinson
the fertile mother of … civilizations — Edward Clodd
Hebrew was considered the mother of European languages — R.W.Weiman
the free press is the mother of all our liberties — A.E.Stevenson †1965
b. : prototype
huge mother of ocean liners, she was five times the size of the largest vessel then afloat — C.V.Woodward
3.
a. obsolete : womb
diseases of the mother — William Coles
b. archaic : hysteria
the particular diseases of this sign are … hardness of the spleen, mother , hypochondriac melancholy — Ebenezer Sibly
4. : feeling (as tenderness or affection) inherited from or characteristic of a mother
all my mother came into mine eyes and gave me up to tears — Shakespeare
all the mother in her soul awakes — Alexander Pope
5. : mother liquor — usually used in plural with the
6. : a device for sheltering chickens after incubation — called also artificial mother
7. : matrix 4f
II. transitive verb
( mothered ; mothered ; mothering -th(ə)riŋ ; mothers )
1.
a. : to give birth to
she mothered five sons but no daughters
b. : to give rise to as if by birth : produce
this … unexplored country has mothered many legends — V.W.Von Hagen
2. : to care for, cherish, or protect in the manner of a mother
all his life … he had to be mothered by somebody — Van Wyck Brooks
3.
a. : to acknowledge that one is the mother or author of
b. : to attribute the maternity or origin of to a particular person
4. : to act as a protective-fire cover or escort for in a military or naval operation
the low-flying contact machines … mothering the infantry — Airman's Outings
mothering subs off the Grand Banks — Atlantic
III. adjective
1.
a. : of, relating to, or being a mother
mother love
mother pains
b. : bearing a relationship to others that is parallel to or suggestive of that of a mother
mother lodge
mother stream
2. : derived from or as if from one's mother
mother dialect
3. : acting as or providing parental stock — used without reference to sex
mother plant
mother tubercle
pollen mother cells — Americana Annual
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: akin to Middle Dutch modder, moeder mud, swamp, dregs, lees, Middle Low German moder, modder putrid body, swampland, mudde thick mud — more at mud
1. archaic : lees , dregs
2. or mother of vinegar : a slimy membrane that develops on the surface of alcoholic liquids undergoing acetous fermentation, that is composed of yeast cells and bacteria of the genus Acetobacter (especially A. acetus syn. Mycoderma aceti ) which produce the fermentation, and that is added to wine or cider as a starter to produce vinegar
V. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to become mothery
her wines sour and pickles mother — Samuel Johnson
VI. noun
Etymology: by shortening
1. : motherfucker herein — usually used as a generalized term of abuse
2.
[translation of Arabic umm followed by a genitive noun]
: a particularly large, formidable, or extreme example
not just a summer rally, but the mother of all summer rallies — Alan Abelson