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

See Examples For:

mother lode

The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly—the local version of a city council—saw a mother lode of opportunity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

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

He is facing upriver, an inveterate white-water miner, basking for one more moment in the glow of the mother lode.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 7, 2022

Then, one group member found the mother lode beneath a moss cushion at a tree’s base: a cluster of maroon pitchers strung on a white, chlorophyll-lacking shoot.

From New York Times ● Jul. 9, 2022

Out in those fields, he used to talk about finding the mother lode, though: a mason jar of old money.

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt