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

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

She considers herself its den mother, and she tries to remind people that they’re sitting at home while these athletes, often young women and girls, are performing hard, dangerous skills.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 30, 2021

As a den mother, Ms. Basset always had her station wagon full of Cub Scouts.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner