mother lode

American  

[muhth-er-lohd] / ˈmʌð ərˌloʊd /

Or motherlode

noun

1. Mining. a rich or important lode.

2. a major or profitable source or supply.

   New York City is a mother lode of actors.

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mother lode British  

noun

1. mining the principal lode in a system

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Etymology

Origin of mother lode

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

But it could be a mother lode for small and large local news outlets, providing $500 million a year to preserve and grow local newsrooms.

From Seattle Times • May 15, 2024

But for a noir of isolation and concealment, about how the past can often feel inescapable, these shadowy dugouts — Travis’ motel, a church and one character’s lonely lair — are an atmospheric mother lode.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2024

Two-thousand-five-hundred miles west of Dodger Stadium was a mother lode of Dodgers memorabilia.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2023

“What a mess we’ve created for ourselves,” said Emily Talen, a professor of urbanism at the University of Chicago who has studied zoning, or “the mother lode of city rules.”

From New York Times • Jul. 1, 2023

First they ripped out the boards that covered the ancient fireplace, coming upon the rusty bricks like prospectors upon the mother lode.

From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson