mother tongue

American  

[muhth-er tuhng, muhth-er tuhng] / ˈmʌð ər ˈtʌŋ, ˈmʌð ər ˌtʌŋ /

noun

mother tongues plural

1. the language first learned by a person; native language.

2. mother language.

---

mother tongue British  

noun

1. the language first learned by a child

2. a language from which another has evolved

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mother tongues
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mother tongue

1350–1400; Middle English moder tonge

Example Sentences

Though Vargas’ mother was educated in the American school system, she made a point of preserving her family’s mother tongue.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

"So I usually switch between my mother tongue, which is Marathi, and English," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

He dropped his English name, James, and resolved to write only in the language of the Kikuyu people, his mother tongue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

For Esau, not being able to speak her mother tongue was "a wound".

From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025

For instance, although he can understand his mother tongue, and speak it fluently, he cannot read or write it with even modest proficiency.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Related Words

• first language