mater dolorosa

American  

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

noun

Latin.

1. the sorrowful mother.

2. (initial capital letters) the mother of Christ sorrowing for her son.

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mater dolorosa British  

/ ˈmɑːtə ˌdɒləˈrəʊsə /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of mater dolorosa

Latin: sorrowful mother

Example Sentences

Warhol’s Jackie is a ravaged yet noble figure of mourning, a mater dolorosa for the nation, conveying in her composed agony the loss of JFK to an assassin’s bullet.

From The Guardian • Nov. 11, 2016

The mother, or Grey Lady, is the mater dolorosa, a woman of sorrowing countenance, possibly the mother of Christ; her huge supplicating hands resemble those of a piet�.

From Time Magazine Archive

Diana--celebrity, tabloid princess, mater dolorosa of the pop and fashion scene--was, if nothing else, the perfect idol for our times.

From Time Magazine Archive

Alone, burnt-eyed, she raises an arm as she watches the Greek fleet under full sail, a Botticelli Venus transformed into the mater dolorosa.

From Time Magazine Archive

Its subject is the weary woman, indeed, our Lady of Sorrows, the mater dolorosa of the ancient world, but with a certain latent reference, all through, to the mystical person of the earth.

From Greek Studies: a Series of Essays by Pater, Walter