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   mother

   /ˈmʌðə/

   noun

   • 1. a woman in relation to her child or children: "his mother was a painter" Similar female parentbiological motherbirth motherfoster motheradoptive motherstepmothersurrogate mothermaterfamiliasmatriarchinformal:mamamammamamammyold dearold ladyold womanmummummymumsymammommommyinformal, dated:materMatainformal:ammarare:progenitressprogenitrix
   • ▪ a female animal in relation to its offspring: "a mother penguin" Similar dam
   • ▪ (especially as a form of address) an elderly woman. archaic
   • ▪ an important female figure in the origin and early history of something: "she will always be remembered as the mother of modern ecology" Similar originatorinitiatorfounderfounding motherinventorcreatormakerauthorprime moverinstigatorarchitectengineerdesignerdeviserplannercontrivermastermindliterary:begetter
   • ▪ denoting an institution or organization from which others of the same type derive: "the initiatives were based on the experience of the mother company"
   • ▪ (especially as a title or form of address) the head of a female religious community.
   • 2. short for motherfucker vulgar slang North American

   verb

   • 1. bring up (a child) with care and affection: "she didn't know how to mother my brother and he was very sensitive"
   • ▪ look after (someone) kindly and protectively, sometimes excessively so: "she mothered her husband, insisting he should take cod liver oil in the winter" Similar look aftercare fortake care ofnurturenurseprotectcherishtendraiserearpampercoddlecossetbabyoverprotectoverparentfuss overindulgespoilOpposite neglect
   • 2. give birth to: dated "she's mothered two foals that have gone on to be impressive dressage competitors" Similar give birth tohavedeliverbearproducebring forthbirthinformal:droparchaic:be brought to bed of

   Word Origin Old Englishmōdor, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch moeder and German Mutter, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin mater and Greek mētēr.

   Derivatives

   • 1. motherlike adjective

   Scrabble Points: 11

   • M

     3

   • O

     1

   • T

     1

   • H

     4

   • E

     1

   • R

     1

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