materfamilias

[ mey-ter-fuh-mil-ee-uhs ]
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noun
  1. the mother of a family.

Origin of materfamilias

1
First recorded in1750–60; from Latin; cf. paterfamilias

Words Nearby materfamilias

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How to use materfamilias in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for materfamilias

materfamilias

/ (ˌmeɪtəfəˈmɪlɪˌæs) /


nounplural matresfamilias (ˌmeɪtreɪzfəˈmɪlɪˌæs)
  1. the mother of a family or the female head of a family

Origin of materfamilias

1
C18: from Latin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012