den mother

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of den mother¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The first person Robby checks in with is Dana, the charge nurse, who Gemmill refers to as both the “den mother” and “air traffic controller” of the ER.

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From his rarefied position, Conway watched Leo become what he called a “den mother” to the justices.

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

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She fielded everything with the calm humor and gentle decisiveness of a den mother.

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The collector and television producer Douglas S. Cramer once described Ms. Corcoran as “sort of a den mother” to the Los Angeles art world.

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