mother house


nounRoman Catholic Church.
  1. a convent housing a mother superior of a community of nuns.

  2. a self-governing convent having authority over other houses.

Origin of mother house

1
First recorded in 1665–75

Words Nearby mother house

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mother house in a sentence

  • Though she is only thirty-three she is already the first assistant at the mother house, whence she comes to inspect here.

  • Luxeuil became the popular school of Gaul, the mother house of hundreds of monasteries.

    How France Built Her Cathedrals | Elizabeth Boyle O'Reilly
  • As to the mother house, it is asserted on honor that up to 1838 not even as much as a curio had been sent there.

  • You see, Reverend Mother has given me a letter to the Superior in the mother-house, and other letters, too.

    The Guests Of Hercules | C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson
  • It may be mentioned here that in 1409 the Priory of Groenendael was instituted the Mother-house of a congregation of that name.

    A Mediaeval Mystic | Vincent Scully