alma mater

American  

[ahl-muh mah-ter, al-, al-muh may-ter] / ˈɑl mə ˈmɑ tər, ˈæl-, ˈæl mə ˈmeɪ tər /

noun

• alma maters
  plural

1. a school, college, or university at which one has studied and, usually, from which one has graduated.

2. the official anthem of a school, college, or university.

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alma mater British  

/ ˈælmə ˈmɑːtə, -ˈmeɪtə /

noun

1. (often capitals) one's school, college, or university

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alma mater Cultural  

1. The school or university from which one graduated. The term also refers to a school's official song: “The reunion began with everyone singing the alma mater.” From Latin, meaning “nurturing mother.”

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alma mater Idioms  

1. Also, Alma Mater. The school or college one attended and, usually, graduated from, as in During football season I always check to see how my alma mater is doing. This expression sometimes refers to the institution's official song, as in I never did learn the words to my college's alma mater. The term is Latin for “kind mother.” [c. 1800]

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Usage

What does alma mater mean? An alma mater is the school, college, or university that someone has graduated from. It’s most commonly used to refer to a college or university, but it can also refer to a high school. The term is associated with pride in one’s school. It’s often used by those who network and keep in touch with other graduates and continue to identify as a graduate of the school after they have left. The term alma mater can also refer to the official song of a school, college, or university. Example: Since Jade graduated from Temple University, she has not stopped talking about her alma mater.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• alma maters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of alma mater

< Latin: nourishing (i.e., dear) mother

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alma mater

He still tries to carve out time on Saturdays to watch his alma mater Penn State and now Virginia Tech, where his former college teammate is now the offensive coordinator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

In fact, as his unofficial biographer Michael Crick later discovered, Archer's alma mater in the States was, in fact, a bodybuilding club.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

CMU may not have the headline-grabbing power of say, Harvard University, Griffin’s alma mater, but it’s still a top-ranked school with resources, including a $3.5 billion endowment.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

California’s renewed belief largely stems from first-time skipper Tosh Lupoi, who has instilled enthusiasm at his alma mater since taking over for the fired Justin Wilcox in December.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

So said Agatha Swanburne, according to a great many hand-stitched pillows at Penelope’s alma mater.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

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