den mother

American  

noun

1. (in the Boy Scouts) a woman who serves as an adult leader or supervisor of a cub scout den.

2. Informal. a woman who serves as an adviser or protector to a group of people.

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Etymology

Origin of den mother

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

As his stay expanded from weeks to years, he realized he had been taken in by a den mother of sorts.

From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2023

Christina Ricci, who notably played Wednesday in the 1991 film "The Addams Family," also makes an appearance as Marylin Thornhill, a den mother to the female students at Nevermore Academy.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2022

After a veteran male actor dropped out, prompting a gender swap, Margaret Cho stepped in to play worldly lesbian den mother Erin.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2022

Though Freeman defended his role as den mother, his acknowledgment of certain rules revealed, again, that a culture of conformity is keeping baseball frozen in its past.

From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2022

Bronwyn acted as den mother, rounding us up every time one of us strayed to get a closer look at a stall of brightly colored pinwheels or steaming boiled candy.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs