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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
1750–60; <Latin; cf. paterfamilias
Words nearby materfamilias
matelassé, matelot, matelote, mater, mater dolorosa, materfamilias, materia alba, material, material cause, material culture, material implication
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
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
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