definitions

mater

[ mey-ter ]
/ ˈmeɪ tər /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mater ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ma·ters, ma·tres [mey-treez] /ˈmeɪ triz/.

British Informal. mother1.
the backing holding the movable parts of an astrolabe.

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RELATED WORDS

dingy, lackluster, murky, shadowy, faint, cloudy, dark, gloomy, fuzzy, dull, vague, blurred, gray, dusk, overcast, faded, obscured, pale, mat, muted

Nearby words

mate, mate's rates, matelassé, matelot, matelote, mater, mater dolorosa, mater turrita, materfamilias, materia alba, materia medica

Origin of mater

First recorded in 1585–95, mater is from the Latin word māter

Definition for mater (2 of 2)

mater dolorosa

[ mah-ter doh-loh-roh-sah; English mey-ter doh-luh-roh-suh ]
/ ˈmɑ tɛr ˌdoʊ loʊˈroʊ sɑ; English ˈmeɪ tər ˌdoʊ ləˈroʊ sə /

noun Latin.

the sorrowful mother.
(initial capital letters) the mother of Christ sorrowing for her son.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mater

British Dictionary definitions for mater (1 of 2)

mater

/ (ˈmeɪtə) /

noun

British public school slang, often facetious a word for mother 1

Word Origin for mater

C16: from Latin

British Dictionary definitions for mater (2 of 2)

mater dolorosa

/ (ˈmɑːtə ˌdɒləˈrəʊsə) /

noun

the Virgin Mary sorrowing for the dead Christ, esp as depicted in art

Word Origin for mater dolorosa

Latin: sorrowful 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