Mother Goose

American  

noun

1. the fictitious author of a collection of nursery rhymes first published in London (about 1760) under the title of Mother Goose's Melody.

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Mother Goose British  

noun

1. the imaginary author of the collection of nursery rhymes published in 1781 in London as Mother Goose's Melody

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Etymology

Origin of Mother Goose

C18: translated from French Contes de ma mère l'Oye (1697), title of a collection of tales by Charles Perrault (1628–1703), French author

Example Sentences

Marianne used Mother Goose books to teach her mother English.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Still, many, such as a Mother Goose area, would pop-up and then disappear from the maps.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

In a statement the Everyman Theatre said that Mother Goose is a live production, which is constantly being refined and improved.

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2023

Like other pantomimes - classic Christmas productions in Britain - "Mother Goose" promises plenty of laughs for audiences of all ages.

From Reuters • Oct. 3, 2022

My father would have said Mother Goose was about to shake the feathers out of her pillows.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn