Dictionary:

mother¹

  (mŭTH'ər)

1. 1. A female person who is pregnant with or gives birth to a child.
   2. A female person whose egg unites with a sperm, resulting in the conception of a child.
   3. A woman who adopts a child.
   4. A woman who raises a child.
2. A female parent of an animal.
3. A female ancestor.
4. A woman who holds a position of authority or responsibility similar to that of a mother: a den mother.
5. Roman Catholic Church.
   1. A mother superior.
   2. Used as a form of address for such a woman.
6. A woman who creates, originates, or founds something: “the discovery of radium, which made Marie Curie mother to the Atomic Age” (Alden Whitman).
7. A creative source; an origin: Philosophy is the mother of the sciences.
8. Used as a title for a woman respected for her wisdom and age.
9. Maternal love and tenderness: brought out the mother in her.
10. The biggest or most significant example of its kind: the mother of all battles.
11. Vulgar Slang. Something considered extraordinary, as in disagreeableness, size, or intensity.

1. Relating to or being mother.
2. Characteristic of a mother: mother love.
3. Being the source or origin: the mother church.
4. Derived from or as if from one's mother; native: one's mother language.

1. To give birth to; create and produce.
2. To watch over, nourish, and protect maternally.

To act or serve as a mother.

[Middle English moder, mother, from Old English mōdor. N., sense 10, translation of Iraqi Arabic 'umm. N., sense 11, short for MOTHERFUCKER.]

A stringy slime composed of yeast cells and bacteria that forms on the surface of fermenting liquids and is added to wine or cider to start the production of vinegar.

[Probably alteration (influenced by MOTHER¹) of obsolete Dutch moeder, from Middle Dutch, probably from moeder, mother of children.]

noun

1. A person from whom one is descended: ancestor, antecedent, ascendant, father, forebear, forefather, foremother, parent, progenitor. Archaic predecessor. See kin, precede/follow.
2. A point of origination: beginning, derivation, fount, fountain, fountainhead, origin, parent, provenance, provenience, root¹, rootstock, source, spring, well¹. See start/end.

Idioms beginning with mother:
mother of

In addition to the idiom beginning with mother, also see necessity is the mother of invention.

Definition: female animal which bears children
Antonyms: father

v

Definition: care for, spoil
Antonyms: father

Maternal parent; in animals, usually called the dam.

• m. hairs — kemp hairs in the fleece of newborn lambs which are shed soon after birth and do not recur.
• m. of millions — see bryophyllum.
• m.–young relationship — the bond established between the newborn and the mother—a critical factor in maintaining high survival rates; a matter of great importance in enhancing lamb survival.

"Mom" redirects here. For other uses, see Mom (disambiguation).

"Mommy" redirects here. For other uses, see Mommy (disambiguation).

"Mum" redirects here. For other uses, see Mum (disambiguation).

Faces of mother and child; detail of sculpture at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Female mallard duck and ducklings.

Goat Family in Australia

A mother is the biological and/or social female parent of an offspring. In the case of a mammal such as a human, the mother gestates her child, which is called first an embryo, and then a fetus. This gestation occurs in the mother's uterus from conception until the fetus is sufficiently developed to be born. The mother then goes into labor and gives birth. Once the child is born, the mother produces milk in a process called lactation to feed the child.

Mothers have historically fulfilled the primary role in the raising of children, but since the late 20th century, the role of the father in child care has been given greater prominence in most Western countries.^[1][2] The title mother is often given to a woman other than biological parent, if it is she who fulfills this role. This is most commonly either an adoptive mother or a stepmother (the biologically unrelated wife of a child's father). Currently, with advances in reproductive technologies, the function of biological motherhood can be split between the genetic mother (who provides the ovum) and the gestational mother (who carries the pregnancy), and in theory neither might be the social mother (the one who brings up the child).

Synonyms and translations

Familiar or colloquial terms for mother in English are:

• mum or mummy, is used in the UK & parts of Canada (especially Eastern Canada), Australia, and New Zealand; and also in some parts of Western Pennsylvania.
• mom or mommy, in most of North America (especially the U.S.). Mommy is considered baby talk. Most adults in these regions switch to the term mom as they approach the teen years. This term is also used in the British West Midlands.
• mam or mammy, North Wales, the South Wales valleys, Ireland, North and the East Midlands of England;
• mama and ma, in parts of the middle east, Latin America, other Spanish-speaking cultures and The Netherlands. Mama is often used in rural areas of the midwest and south eastern regions of the US. Ma is a common term in various parts of the US including the north east.
• In many other languages, similar pronunciations apply; maman in French and Farsi (Persian),maadar in Farsi (Persian), or mamma in Italian, or mãe in Portuguese. Mama, borrowed from the English, is in common use in Japan. In Hebrew the word is eema, and in many south Asian cultures and the Middle East the mother is known as amma or oma or ammi or "ummi", or variations thereof. Many times these terms denote affection or a maternal role in a child's life. The word originates from the Sanskrit mothru or motharaha and has taken various forms all over the world.^{[citation needed]}

Mothers and parental leave

Main article: Parental leave

Parental leave is the right to take time off work to care for a child. It includes maternity, paternity, and adoption leave. In most western countries, parental leave is available for those who have worked for their current employer for a certain period of time.

The Scandinavian countries are examples of generous parental leave with a father-specific component. In Sweden, all working parents are entitled to 18 months' paid leave per child, and, to encourage greater paternal involvement in child-rearing, a minimum of 3 months out of the 18 is required to be used by the "minority" parent, in practice usually the father.

The maternal-leave only system in Bulgaria is even more generous, providing mothers with 45 days 100% paid sick leave prior the due date, 2 years paid leave, and 1 additional year of unpaid leave.

In 2000, parental leave was greatly expanded in Canada from 10 weeks to 35 weeks divided between the two parents, which can be expanded to a year.

In the UK, all female employees are as of April 1, 2007 entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave, 39 weeks of which is paid.

There is currently a push to expand paid maternity leave in countries such as Australia and the United States.^[3]

Legendary & mythological mothers

• Bithiah
• Gaia (mythology)
• Hagar (mother of Ishmael)
• Isis
• Jocasta, mother of Oedipus, important in Freudian psychology
• Juno (mythology)
• Mary (mother of Jesus)
• Euripides' Medea
• Queen Maya
• Venus (mythology)

See also

• Attachment parenting
• Attachment theory
• Breastfeeding
• Jungian archetypes
• Lactation
• Maternal bond
• Matriarch
• Matricide
• Matriphagy
• Matrilocality
• Mother insult
• Mother's Day
• Mothers rights
• Nuclear family
• Oedipus complex
• Parenting
• Psychological bond
• Mother ship
• Motherfucker
• Mother goddess
• Mother Superior or Abbess

Notes

1. ^ "In most Western countries the family model of a sole male breadwinner is in full retreat." Accessed 19 September 2007.
2. ^ Why Are Fathers Important? Interview with Dr. Ross Parke, professor of psychology at the University of California at Riverside, author of Fatherhood (1966) and co-author of Throwaway Dads (1999). Accessed 19 September 2007.
3. ^ One organization supporting paid maternity leave in the United States is Moms Rising. Additional information about family leave policies and movements within the United States is available at PaidFamilyLeave.org.

Family
Mother • Father • Son • Daughter • Sibling • Grandparent • Cousin

nds-nl:Moor (meens)

new:आमाzh-yue:阿媽

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - mor, moder
adj. - moder-
v. tr. - være mor til, være som en mor for, være ophav til, anerkende som sit barn, opfostre
v. intr. - være moderlig

idioms:

• mother country    fædreland, moderland (i forb. m. kolonier)
• mother figure    moderskikkelse
• Mother of God    madonna, jomfru Maria etc.
• mother of pearl    perlemor
• Mother Superior    priorinde (kirke), abbedisse
• mother tongue    modersmål
• mother wit    almindelig sund fornuft
• Mother's Day    mors dag
• Mothering Sunday    fjerde søndag i fasten (på landet skik at besøge forældre og give dem gaver)

2.
n. - moder

3.
n. - kort for motherfucker

Nederlands (Dutch)
moeder, bron, moeder-overste, broedmachine, azijnmoer, bemoederen, moederen over, baren, moeder-

Français (French)
1.
n. - mère, maman, (Relig) Mère
adj. - maternel, (Dame) nature, qui ravitaille, inné, (langue) maternelle
v. tr. - materner, dorloter (péj)
v. intr. - donner naissance à, produire, protéger, nourrir

idioms:

• mother country    mère patrie
• mother figure    image de la mère
• Mother of God    Marie, mère de Dieu
• mother of pearl    nacre
• Mother Superior    Mère supérieure
• mother tongue    langue maternelle
• mother wit    le bon sens inné
• Mother's Day    fête des mères
• Mothering Sunday    fête des mères

2.
n. - mère (de vinaigre)

3.
n. - fils de pute (injur, arg)

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Mutter
adj. - Mutter-
v. - bemuttern

idioms:

• mother country    Mutterland
• mother figure    Mutterfigur
• Mother of God    Muttergottes
• mother of pearl    Perlmutt
• Mother Superior    Äbtissin
• mother tongue    Muttersprache
• mother wit    Mutterwitz
• Mother's Day    Muttertag
• Mothering Sunday    Muttertag

2.
n. - Essigmutter

3.
n. - (Sl) Arschloch, (Sl) Saftsack

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μητέρα, μάνα
v. - νταντεύω, κανακεύω, ανατρέφω, (μτφ.) ανασταίνω
adj. - μητρικός

idioms:

• mother country    γενέτειρα, πατρίδα
• mother figure    μητρικό πρότυπο
• Mother of God    Μητέρα του Θεανθρώπου
• mother of pearl    σεντέφι, μάργαρος
• Mother Superior    (θρησκ.) Ηγουμένη (μοναστηριού)
• mother tongue    μητρική γλώσσα
• mother wit    λαϊκή σοφία
• Mother's Day    η ημέρα της μητέρας
• Mothering Sunday    Κυριακή του Μεσοσαράκοστου

Italiano (Italian)
fare da mamma a, madre, mamma, materno

idioms:

• mother country    patria
• mother figure    figura materna
• Mother of God    madre di Dio
• mother of pearl    madreperla
• Mother Superior    madre superiora
• mother tongue    lingua madre
• mother wit    buon senso
• Mother's Day    festa della mamma
• Mothering Sunday    festa della mamma, quarta domenica di Quaresima

Português (Portuguese)
n. - mãe (f), madre (f), matriz (f)
v. - ser mãe, dar origem a, reconhecer maternidade ou autoria (fig.)
adj. - maternal

idioms:

• mother country    mãe-pátria (f), metrópole (f)
• mother figure    figura materna (f)
• Mother of God    Virgem Maria (f)
• mother of pearl    madrepérola (f)
• Mother Superior    Madre Superiora (f)
• mother tongue    vernáculo (m), língua materna (f)
• mother wit    bom senso (m)
• Mother's Day    Dia das Mães (m)
• Mothering Sunday    Dia das Mães (m) (ant.)

Русский (Russian)
мать, источник, относиться по-матерински, усыновлять, признавать себя матерью

idioms:

• mother country    родина
• mother figure    лицо, наделенное рядом черт, свойственных матери
• Mother of God    фева Мария
• mother of pearl    перламутр, перламутровый
• Mother Superior    мать-настоятельница
• mother tongue    родной язык
• mother wit    природный ум
• Mother's Day    фень Матери (2е воскресенье мая)
• Mothering Sunday    четвертое воскресенье великого поста

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - madre, matriz, mamá
adj. - madre, maternal, materno, nodriza, innato, nativo, madre tierra, buque madre, lengua materna
v. tr. - dar a luz, servir de madre de, concebir, reconocerse autor de, cuidar como una madre, cuidar como a un hijo, mimar
v. intr. - reconocerse autor de

idioms:

• mother country    madre patria, suelo natal
• mother figure    figura maternal
• Mother of God    Madre de Dios
• mother of pearl    madreperla, nácar
• Mother Superior    madre superiora, superiora
• mother tongue    lengua materna
• mother wit    sentido común, inteligencia natural
• Mother's Day    día de la Madre
• Mothering Sunday    día de la Madre

2.
n. - fermento madre

3.
n. - hijo de puta

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - moder, upphov, gumman, abbedissa, husmor, matris, hysteri
v. - sätta till världen, fostra, erkänna som sitt barn, beskydda
adj. - moder-

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
1. 母亲, 起源, 根由, 妈妈, 大娘, 大妈, 母亲的, 妈妈的, 像母亲一般地照料, 生下, 对...过分照顾, 产生出

idioms:

• mother country    祖国, 发源地
• mother figure    母亲的化身, 慈母般的人, 慈爱的人
• Mother of God    圣母玛利亚
• mother of pearl    珠母层, 珍珠母
• Mother Superior    女修道院院长
• mother tongue    母语, 本国语
• mother wit    常识, 天生的智慧
• Mother's Day    母亲节
• Mothering Sunday    省亲星期日, 拜望双亲日

2. 修女院长

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 修女院長

2.
n. - 母親, 起源, 根由, 媽媽, 大娘, 大媽
adj. - 母親的, 媽媽的
v. tr. - 像母親一般地照料, 生下, 對...過分照顧, 產生出

idioms:

• mother country    祖國, 發源地
• mother figure    母親的化身, 慈母般的人, 慈愛的人
• Mother of God    聖母瑪利亞
• mother of pearl    珠母層, 珍珠母
• Mother Superior    女修道院院長
• mother tongue    母語, 本國語
• mother wit    常識, 天生的智慧
• Mother's Day    母親節
• Mothering Sunday    省親星期日, 拜望雙親日

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 어머니
adj. - 어머니의, 모국의
v. tr. - 어머니로서 돌보다, 낳다, ~의 어머니임을 시인하다
v. intr. - 어머니가 되다

2.
n. - 초모

3.
n. - 야비한 사람

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 母, 生みの親, 女子修道院長, 母性, 酢母
adj. - 母の, 本国の
v. - 母として世話をする, 過保護に扱う, 産む, 産み出す, 母となる

idioms:

• mother country    母国, 本国
• mother figure    典型的母親像
• Mother of God    神の母
• mother of pearl    真珠層
• Mother Superior    女子修道院長
• mother tongue    母国語, 母語, 祖語
• mother wit    生まれつきの知恵, 常識

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) أم (فعل) ترعي, تتبنى, تنجب, تعترف بأمومتها (صفه) إمايه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אם, אמא, אם-בית, מאמצת, תכונה המעוררת תכונה אחרת, נזירה ראשית‬
adj. - ‮בעלת סמכות אימהית, מרכיב או חלק ראשי, קיים מלידה‬
v. tr. - ‮ילדה, אימצה, הגנה או טיפלה כאם, גידלה, היתה המקור ל-, הכירה באימהותה על‬
v. intr. - ‮תפקדה כאם‬
n. - ‮חומר מעורר תסיסה (בחומר אחר)‬
n. - ‮אדם נתעב (לשון קללה בצפון אמריקה)‬

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