Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for alma mater

alma mater

[ ahl-muh mah-ter, al-; al-muh mey-ter ]

noun

  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.


alma mater

/ ˈmeɪtə; ˈælmə ˈmɑːtə /

noun

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


alma mater

  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.”


Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of alma mater1

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of alma mater1

C17: from Latin: bountiful mother
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

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]
Discover More

Example Sentences

For the first time since I put my acceptance letter in the mail, I woke up this morning ashamed of my alma mater.

He was disappointed to find out that his alma mater was not represented.

Do you know Richard Bargis, assistant professor of philosophy at your alma mater?

The Perfect Podium: When Kate arrived at her alma mater, St. Andrews, to give a speech, she was greeted by a podium waist-high.

A graduate of Mariana, Jonah has returned to his alma mater with a covert agenda.

And they sat her on a sofa and told her what they knew of her alma mater and her relatives and her character generally.

Three years later his alma mater conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts.

It was about a year and a half later that Kane had occasion to revisit the city of his Alma Mater.

As the good mother at home was to each student in that assembly, so was their dear Alma Mater to them all.

To educate a whole family of boys and girls at the "dear old alma mater" is now an exploded fancy.

Advertisement

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement