mater

American  

[may-ter] / ˈmeɪ tər /

noun

• maters,
  plural
• matres
  plural

1. British Informal. mother.

2. the backing holding the movable parts of an astrolabe.

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mater British  

/ ˈmeɪtə /

noun

1. slang:public_school a word for mother 1

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• maters
  plural
• matres
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of mater

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mater maters matres

CMU may not have the headline-grabbing power of say, Harvard University, Griffin’s alma mater, but it’s still a top-ranked school with resources, including a $3.5 billion endowment.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

BBC Sport spoke to families at Wembley who have had multiple generations attend the same school and alumni who now live all over the US but travel thousands of miles to watch their alma mater.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

His relationship with his alma mater deteriorated after Oct.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

It also counted Lucas’ alma mater, USC, among its neighbors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

“Instead I can only serve as an example of what a Swanburne girl should not be. I have broken my promise, disappointed my headmistress, failed my alma mater in her time of need....”

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Yet those calls have also run into a stark reality: Greek alumni donate to their alma maters at five times the rate of other students, according to a 2021 Gallup survey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

She has increased her charitable donations to her alma maters and where she taught, in addition to other organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and Habitat for Humanity.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025

Before a Syracuse-Virginia Tech game matching the alma maters of his great uncle and father, Sturdivant gawked at the size of the players, the eighth-grader never thinking he could measure up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2023

This is not the first donation Paulson has made to NYU, one of his alma maters.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 14, 2022

“Good man. But best not mention it to”—Hugo nodded through the garage wall—“the maters and the paters, or we'll spend the rest of the afternoon playing Ludo or the Game of Life under strict supervision.”

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

"You look pale, child!" cries mamma, anxious, like all pavidae matres.

From The Virginians by William Makepeace Thackeray

In Akenside's Pleasures of Imagination we find:—                      Hence, finally by night,      The village matres, round the blazing hearth      Suspend the infant audience with their tales,      Breathing astonishment.

From A Study of Fairy Tales by Laura F. Kready

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