mother tongue

American  

[muhth-er tuhng, muhth-er tuhng] / ˈmʌð ər ˈtʌŋ, ˈmʌð ər ˌtʌŋ /

noun

• mother tongues
  plural

1. the language first learned by a person; native language.

2. mother language.

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mother tongue British  

noun

1. the language first learned by a child

2. a language from which another has evolved

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mother tongues
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of mother tongue

1350–1400; Middle English moder tonge

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mother tongue

Though Vargas’ mother was educated in the American school system, she made a point of preserving her family’s mother tongue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

But that authenticity was also palpable in Martin’s performance on Sunday — a vindication for all the years his mother tongue was manipulated in the mainstream.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026

He dropped his English name, James, and resolved to write only in the language of the Kikuyu people, his mother tongue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025

At the time, Adamu argued that pupils grasped concepts more readily when taught in "their own mother tongue" - a view supported by numerous UN studies on early childhood education.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2025

It was like switching from passively watching a film in a foreign language to actively debating in one’s mother tongue.

From "The Annotated Mona Lisa" by Carol Strickland and John Boswell

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Related Words

• first language

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