mother ship

American  

noun

1. a vessel or craft that services others operating far from a home port or center.

---

mother ship British  

noun

1. a ship providing facilities and supplies for a number of small vessels

---

Etymology

Origin of mother ship

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

The Jiutian, a hulking mother ship drone designed to release swarms of smaller drones, completed its maiden flight in December, according to state media.

From The Wall Street Journal

Companies sell decoys, which trail planes or ships, sometimes looking like a missile, and emit signals to confuse adversaries into targeting it instead of its mother ship.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ukraine, which has its own mother ship drones, is trying to regain the edge.

From The Wall Street Journal

Then you would launch a smaller manned spacecraft from that mother ship, and the smaller craft would fly to the moon.

From Literature

One would stay in the mother ship, and the other two would travel from the mother ship in the Lunar Lander.

From Literature

Related Words

• bellwether
• crown jewel