alma mater

[ ahl-muh-mah-ter, al-; al-muh-mey-ter ]
See synonyms for alma mater on Thesaurus.com
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.

Origin of alma mater

1
<Latin: nourishing (i.e., dear) mother

Words Nearby alma mater

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use alma mater in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for alma mater

alma mater

/ (ˈælmə ˈmɑːtə, ˈmeɪtə) /


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

Origin of alma mater

1
C17: from Latin: bountiful mother

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

Cultural definitions for alma mater

alma mater

[ (al-muh mah-tuhr, ahl-muh mah-tuhr) ]


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.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with alma mater

alma mater

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]

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