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materfamilias

[ mey-ter-fuh-mil-ee-uhs ]
/ ˌmeɪ tər fəˈmɪl i əs /
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noun
the mother of a family.
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Origin of materfamilias

First recorded in 1750–60; from Latin; cf. paterfamilias

Words nearby materfamilias

matelassé, matelot, matelote, mater, mater dolorosa, materfamilias, material, material cause, material culture, material girl, material implication
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to materfamilias

ancestor, antecedent, ascendant, author, begetter, forerunner, founder, matriarch, originator, parent, paterfamilias, patriarch, precursor, primogenitor, procreator, progenitor, relative, sire

How to use materfamilias in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for materfamilias

materfamilias
/ (ˌmeɪtəfəˈmɪlɪˌæs) /
noun plural matresfamilias (ˌmeɪtreɪzfəˈmɪlɪˌæs)
the mother of a family or the female head of a family

Word Origin for materfamilias

C18: from Latin
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
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