The origin of the word mother

According to wiktionary:

From Middle English moder, from Old English mōdor, from Proto-Germanic *mōdēr (cf. East Frisian muur, Dutch moeder, German Mutter), from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr (cf. Irish máthair, Tocharian A mācar, B mācer, Lithuanian mótė).

That’s abosultely right. Proto-Indo-European is the hypothetical ancestor language or protolanguage of most European and Indian languages.

That’s why in many languages of the same origin the word «Mother» is used with trivial variations. I’m don’t have a listing of the words you’re looking for.

Note that some words might have been used in other languages because of reasons other than language origins. For example many Arabic words are used by Muslims in middle east in countries like Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, etc. Or some other words like okay are gaining popularity in different languages and get used by many people. But as RegDwight mentions for the word okay this is a case of borrowing a word.

The word Mama or Papa are one of the easiest words that can be produced or repeated or by babies. Maybe that’s one of other reasons which has made the words being used in most of the languages around the world.

To get more information about Proto-Indo-European language visit here.

To get more information about the list of Proto-Indo-European languages visit here.

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmʌðə(ɹ)/, [ˈmɐðə(ɹ)]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmʌðɚ/
• Rhymes: -ʌðə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: moth‧er

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English moder, from Old English mōdor, from Proto-Germanic *mōdēr, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr. Superseded non-native Middle English mere (“mother”) borrowed from Old French mere (“mother”). Doublet of mater.

Some have proposed that the «dregs» sense is from Middle Dutch modder (“filth”), from Proto-Germanic *muþraz (“sediment”), but modder is not known in this meaning. On the other hand, words for «mother» have developed the secondary sense of «dregs» in several Romance and Germanic languages; compare Dutch moer, French mère de vinaigre, German Essigmutter, Italian madre, Medieval Latin māter, and Spanish madre.^[1]

Alternative forms[edit]

• mither (Scotland and Northern England)

Noun[edit]

mother (plural mothers)

1. A female parent, sometimes especially a human; a female who parents a child (which she has given birth to, adopted, or fostered).

   I am visiting my mother today.

   The lioness was a mother of four cubs.

2. A female who has given birth to a baby; this person in relation to her child or children.

   My sister-in-law has just become a mother for the first time.

   He had something of his mother in him.

   • 1988, Robert Ferro, Second Son:

     He had something of his mother in him, but this was because he realized that in the end only her love was unconditional, and in gratitude he had emulated her.

   • 2005, Trudelle Thomas, Spirituality in the Mother Zone: Staying Centered, Finding God, Paulist Press, →ISBN, page 41:

     The «Ritual to Celebrate Birthing» begins with a leader welcoming all participants : «Welcome to this celebration for N. She is approaching the time when she will become a mother for the first time (or become a mother again).

3. A pregnant female, possibly as a shortened form of mother-to-be; a female who gestates a baby.

   Nutrients and oxygen obtained by the mother are conveyed to the fetus.

   • 1991, Susan Faludi, The Undeclared War Against American Women:

     The antiabortion iconography in the last decade featured the fetus but never the mother.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Multiplicity Yours: Cloning, Stem Cell Research, and Regenerative Medicine, →ISBN:

     To clone a boy, it is necessary to have a man as a DNA donor, a woman as an egg donor, and may be another woman as a surrogate mother.

   • 2023 January 16, Reinhard Renneberg, Biotechnology for Beginners, Academic Press, →ISBN, page 317:

     If the cat to be cloned is female, the nucleus donor cat could also be used as the surrogate mother instead of another cat.

4. A female who donates a fertilized egg or donates a body cell which has resulted in a clone.
5. (figuratively) A female ancestor.
6. (figuratively) A source or origin.

   The Mediterranean was mother to many cultures and languages.

   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 147, column 1:

     Alas poore Countrey, / Almoſt affraid to know it ſelfe. It cannot / Be call’d our Mother, but our Graue;

   • 1844, Thomas Arnold, Fragment on the Church, Volume 1, page 17:

     But one in the place of God and not God, is as it were a falsehood; it is the mother falsehood from which all idolatry is derived.

   • 2013 October 31, Rowena Mason, quoting David Steel, “Lord Steel criticises culture of spin and tweeting in modern politics”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     How on earth are we supposed to hold our heads high as the ‘mother of parliaments’ when we allow to continue the practice of almost openly buying a seat in parliament?

7. Something that is the greatest or most significant of its kind. (See mother of all.)
   • 1991, January 17, Saddam Hussein, Broadcast on Baghdad state radio.

     The great duel, the mother of all battles has begun.

8. (dated, when followed by a surname) A title of respect for one’s mother-in-law.

   Mother Smith, meet my cousin, Doug Jones.

9. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (dated) A term of address for one’s wife.

   • 1887 April 2, E. V. Wilson, “Uncle Dave”, in The Current, volume 7, number 172, page 432:

     A few minutes later we were all seated comfortably, Uncle Dave and mother, as he called his wife, myself and my husband, in the split-bottomed wooden chairs, on the vine-covered porch. / “Is Bethel a Methodist Church?” I asked. / Uncle Dave looked quizzically at his wife. “Do you hear that, mother?” he said.

   • 1922, Stephen Leacock, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town‎^[2], page 152:

     On some days as he got near the house he would call out to his wife: / “Almighty Moses, Martha! who left the sprinkler on the grass?” / On other days he would call to her from quite a little distance off: “Hullo, mother! Got any supper for a hungry man?”

   • 1944, Walter Hackett, For the Duration: A Play for Junior and Senior High Schools, page 8:

     (Mr. Hill enters. He crosses to Wife.) / Mr. Hill: Hello, mother. […] How are you? / Mrs. Hill: Nothing wrong, dear, I hope.

10. (figuratively) Any elderly woman, especially within a particular community.
11. (figuratively) Any person or entity which performs mothering.
    • Judges 5:7, KJV.

      The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.

    • Galatians 4:26, KJV.

      Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

12. Dregs, lees; a stringy, mucilaginous or film- or membrane-like substance (consisting of acetobacters) which develops in fermenting alcoholic liquids (such as wine, or cider), and turns the alcohol into acetic acid with the help of oxygen from the air.

    pieces of mother, adding mother to vinegar

13. (rail transport) A locomotive which provides electrical power for a slug.
14. The principal piece of an astrolabe, into which the others are fixed.
15. The female superior or head of a religious house; an abbess, etc.
16. (obsolete) Hysterical passion; hysteria; the uterus.
    • 1665, Robert Lovel, Pambotanologia sive Enchiridion botanicum, page 484:

      T.V. dicusseth tumors and mollifieth them, helps inflammations, rising of the mother and the epilepsie being burnt.

    • 1666, Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physitian Enlarged, page 49:

      The Root hereof taken with Zedoary and Angelică, or without them, helps the rising of the Mother.

    • 1979, Thomas R. Forbes, The changing face of death in London, in Charles Webster (editor), Health, Medicine and Mortality in the Sixteenth Century (1979), page 128:

      St Botolph’s parish records ascribed three deaths to ‘mother‘, an old name for the uterus.

17. A disc produced from the electrotyped master, used in manufacturing phonograph records.

Synonyms[edit]

• (one’s female parent): See also Thesaurus:mother
• (most significant thing): father, grandfather, granddaddy
• (of or pertaining to the mother, such as metropolis): metro-

Antonyms[edit]

• (with regards to gender) father
• (with regards to ancestry) daughter, son, child, offspring

Hypernyms[edit]

• (a female parent): parent

Coordinate terms[edit]

• (a female parent): father

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

Descendants[edit]

• → Japanese: マザー (mazā)
• → Korean: 마더 (madeo)
• Kriol: motha

Translations[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English modren, from the noun (see above).

Verb[edit]

mother (third-person singular simple present mothers, present participle mothering, simple past and past participle mothered)

1. (chiefly transitive) To give birth to or produce (as its female parent) a child. (Compare father.)

   • 1998, Nina Revoyr, The Necessary Hunger: A Novel, Macmillan, →ISBN, page 101:

     Q’s sister, Debbie, had mothered two kids by the time she was twenty, with neither of the fathers in sight.

   • 2010, Lynette Joseph-Bani, The Biblical Journey of Slavery: From Egypt to the Americas, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 51:

     Zilpah, Leah’s maid, mothered two sons for Jacob, Gad and Asher. Leah became pregnant once more and had two more sons, Issachar, and Zebulun, and a daughter, Dinah, thus Leah had seven children for Jacob.

2. (transitive) To treat as a mother would be expected to treat her child; to nurture.
   • c. 1900, O. Henry, An Adjustment of Nature

     She had seen fewer years than any of us, but she was of such superb Evehood and simplicity that she mothered us from the beginning.

3. (transitive) To cause to contain mother (“that substance which develops in fermenting alcohol and turns it into vinegar”).

   mothered oil, mothered vinegar, mothered wine

4. (intransitive, of an alcohol) To develop mother.

   • 1968, Evelyn Berckman, The Heir of Starvelings, page 172:

     Iron rusted, paper cracked, cream soured and vinegar mothered.

   • 2013, Richard Dauenhauer, Benchmarks: New and Selected Poems 1963-2013, page 94:

     Your lamp
     was always polished, wick
     trimmed, waiting; yet the bridegroom
     somehow never came. Summer dust
     settled in the vineyard. Grapes
     were harvested; your parents
     crushed and pressed them, but the wine
     mothered.

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

• American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company 2003.

Etymology 3[edit]

Clipping of motherfucker

Alternative forms[edit]

• mutha

Noun[edit]

mother (plural mothers)

1. (euphemistic, mildly vulgar, slang) Motherfucker.

   • 1989 December 19, Slim Randles, “Entrepreneur Hopes Luminaria Delivery Service Catches On”, in The Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, New Mexico, page 2:

     Stick a votive candle in it and fire that mother up, right?

   • 2011, Beyoncé Knowles (lyrics and music), “Run the World (Girls)”, in 4‎^[3]:

     Who run this mother

2. (euphemistic, colloquial) A striking example.

   • 1964, Richard L. Newhafer, The last tallyho:

     November, 1943 If ever, Cortney Anders promised himself, I get out of this mother of a thunderstorm there is a thing I will do if it is the last act of my life.

   • 1980, Chester Anderson, Fox & hare: the story of a Friday night, page 5:

     Some hot night there’s gonna be one mother of a riot down here. Just wait.» He’d been saying the same thing since 1958, five years of crying wolf.

   • 2004 Nov, Rajnar Vajra, “The Ghost Within”, in Analog Science Fiction & Fact, volume 124, page 8:

     Basically, we wind up with a program. One mother of a complex application.

   • 2006, Elizabeth Robinson, The true and outstanding adventures of the Hunt sisters:

     Josh, whose fleshy face resembles a rhino’s — beady wide-set eyes blinking between a mother of a snout

Synonyms[edit]

• MF, mofo, motherfucker, mutha

Translations[edit]

Etymology 4[edit]

Coined from moth by analogy to mouser.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɒθə(ɹ)/

Noun[edit]

mother (plural mothers)

1. Alternative form of moth-er

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “mother”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams[edit]

• thermo-

Middle English[edit]

Noun[edit]

mother

1. (Late Middle English) Alternative form of moder

According to The Oxford Dictionary, ‘mother’ comes from the Old English mōdor, from the Old Germanic moder, and from the Indo-European root mehter, shared also by the Latin mater and Greek mētēr. Indo-European is a reconstructed language, origin for many modern languages.

What is the Latin root for water?

aqua-

Is the root mater Greek or Latin?

-mater- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning “mother. ” This meaning is found in such words as: maternal, maternity, matriarch, matricide, matrimony, matrix, matron.

What is the meaning of the root Matri?

mother

What does Matrixing mean?

Grant Wilson, co-founder of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) featured on SyFy’s “Ghost Hunters,” said matrixing is a term used to describe the human mind’s natural tendency to find familiar shapes in complex shapes or colors.

What root means life?

bio

What root means mind?

anim

What are root words examples?

Root Words as Word Stems

• acri – bitter (acrid, acrimony, acridity)
• astro – star (astronaut, astronomy, astrophysics)
• aud – hear (audience, audible, audio)
• auto – self (autonomy, autocrat, automatic)
• bene – good (benefactor, benevolent, beneficial)
• carn – flesh (carnal, carnivorous, reincarnate)

What are the most common root words?

Common Word Roots

Do all words have a root?

In most cases, a word is built upon at least one root. 2. Words can have more than one prefix, root, or suffix. Words can be made up of two or more roots (geo/logy).

What are the 20 prefixes?

20 Examples of Prefixes

What are the 30 prefixes?

Prefix List

• a, ab, abs. Meaning: Away from. Example: Absent , Abscond.
• ad, a, ac, af, ag, an, ar, at, as. Meaning: To, toward. Example: Adapt , Adhere , Annex, Attract.
• ante. Meaning: Before.
• anti. Meaning: Against.
• auto. Meaning: Self.
• bi, bis. Meaning: Two.
• circum, cir. Meaning: Around.
• com, con, co,col. Meaning: With, together.

What is the prefix for 11?

Table of number prefixes in English

What are the four most common prefixes?

The four most common prefixes are dis-, in-, re-, and un-.

What are 3 common prefixes?

Common Prefixes

What is a prefix Year 1?

Prefixes are a group of letters that change the meaning of a word when they are added to the start. The prefix un- usually means not, so the new word means the opposite of the original.

What are the four types of word parts?

Those word parts are prefix , word root , suffix , and combining form vowel .

What is it called to break down a word?

Frequently Asked Questions About break down The words analyze and dissect are common synonyms of break down. While all three words mean “to divide a complex whole into its parts or elements,” break down implies a reducing to simpler parts or divisions.

What is chunking in phonics?

Chunking is using prior knowledge of letter sounds and words to identify parts of a word we might already know. For instance, the word “stop.” This could be chunked two different ways.

What is an example of chunking?

Chunking refers to the process of taking individual pieces of information and grouping them into larger units. For example, a phone number sequence of 4-7-1-1-3-2-4 would be chunked into 471-1324.

What is chunking words in reading?

Chunking is the grouping of words in a sentence into short meaningful phrases (usually three to five words). This process prevents word-by-word reading, which can cause lack of comprehension, since students forget the beginning of a sentence before they get to the end (Casteel, 1988).

What is chunking for kids?

The purpose of chunking is for children to be able to think about the relationship between multiplication and division. It involves using rough estimates of how many times a number will go into another number and then adjusting until the right answer is found.

How do you practice chunking?

Practice Strategy: Chunking

1. Find the chunks. Work with your teacher to pick out difficult parts: usually, they will know the common ‘problem areas’ that most students struggle with.
2. Pace yourself. Don’t expect to get it in one session!
3. Start slow.
4. Incorporating it into the rest of the piece.

What is the time chunking method?

Chunking is the concept of breaking up your day into larger chunks instead of reacting to constant interruptions. The more chunks of time you can devote to specific tasks, the fewer start-up moments you will have, and your efficiency improves commensurately.

What is the chunking memory strategy?

Chunking refers to the process of taking smaller pieces (chunks) of information and grouping them into bigger units. By taking smaller pieces of a larger whole, you can improve the amount remembered. An example of chunking is how phone numbers are put into chunks rather than one long line of numbers.

What are 3 memory strategies?

Rehearsal is found to be the most frequently used strategy, followed by mental imagery, elaboration, mnemonics, and organization. Previous study also found that rehearsal is the memory strategy taught most often by teachers to their students (Moely et al., 1992).

What are two types of chunking?

Common learning strategies involving chunking processes include learning by employing mnemonics such as forming acronyms or acrostics, grouping of digits in a phone number, or using the method of loci. Other forms of learning by chunking include concept formation, rule learning, and other forms of abstraction.

What are some memory techniques?

These 11 research-proven strategies can effectively improve memory, enhance recall, and increase retention of information.

• Focus Your Attention.
• Avoid Cramming.
• Structure and Organize.
• Utilize Mnemonic Devices.
• Elaborate and Rehearse.
• Visualize Concepts.
• Relate New Information to Things You Already Know.
• Read Out Loud.

1. mother the word is of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin mater and Greek mētēr like mother, like daughter proverbial saying, early 14th century; the ultimate allusion is a biblical one, to Ezekiel 16:44, ‘As is the mother, so is her daughter’
2. (Compare like father, like son)

Accordingly, Who is a mother according to Bible? Mothers in the Bible Consider Abraham’s wife, Sarah; Isaac’s wife, Rebekah; Hannah, the mother of Samuel; Elizabeth, the mother of John, and of course Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus

What does M stand for in mother? (ii) MOTHER M – Maker of man O – Observer of action T – Teacher of life H – Healer in pain E – Internal blessings

What kind of word is mother? Mother can be a verb or a noun – Word Type

Further, What is the expanded definition of mother? a female parent (often initial capital letter) one’s female parent a mother-in-law, stepmother, or adoptive mother a term of address for a female parent or a woman having or regarded as having the status, function, or authority of a female parent a term of familiar address for an old or elderly woman

What God says about mothers?

The Bible consistently asks followers to honor and love their mothers Examples of this can be seen in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother,” and Leviticus 19:3, “Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father”

What does God say about being a mother?

Bible Verses About Mothers Isaiah 66:13: “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you” Isaiah 49:15: “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?” Proverbs 31:25: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come”

Why did God make mothers?

God created mothers to carry forth the job no one else could For only such a special heart and soul could carry the triumphs, trenches, and heart-bursting moments of the blessing called motherhood

Why is mother so special?

Mother’s love is unconditional For a mother, a child always remains her baby even if he turns 60 or becomes a tycoon, a leader or a thinker Mothers hold this strong aspect of loving their children in any phase of life or situation This unconditional love of mothers is what makes them so special for every child

Why is a mother so important?

Mothers play a critical role in the family, which is a powerful force for social cohesion and integration The mother-child relationship is vital for the healthy development of children And mothers are not only caregivers; they are also breadwinners for their families

Why is a mother love so important?

They feel safe They feel valued and important The bond a baby has with Mom is the baby’s first relationship” “Mothers tend to be the primary caregivers, and if children don’t feel loved, they internalize that and feel unlovable,” Esposito says

Why do we love our mother?

1) She’s always cheerful 2) She’s very creative 3) She gives good advice 4) She’s a great teacher

What is a mother’s love?

By is defined as a protective and possessive affection which a mother will typically display towards their child throughout their life MOTHER LOVE: “Motherly love is considered a possessive affection where a mother will protect their offspring at all costs”

What makes a woman a mother?

A mother pays attention to her child’s particular nature and responds to the specific needs of each child A mother accepts her child for who she or he is, and forgives her child for their mistakes, big or small A mother is there for her child when he or she needs her, whenever that might be

Mother love is the deep, all-embracing, all-accepting, nourishing, nurturing, warm, safe, supportive love that soothes the places inside our hearts that feel scared and lonely

What are the values of a mother?

Manifesto

What is the root word for mother?

The Latin root matr means “mother” This Latin root is the word origin of a good number of English vocabulary words, including matriarch, material, and matter The root matr is easily recalled via the word maternal, for a woman who acts in a maternal fashion is being “motherly”

What is the origin of mother?

mother the word is of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin mater and Greek mētēr like mother, like daughter proverbial saying, early 14th century; the ultimate allusion is a biblical one, to Ezekiel 16:44, ‘As is the mother, so is her daughter’ (Compare like father, like son)

What is the Greek meaning of mother?

English to Greek Meaning :: mother Mother : μητέρα

When was the word mother first used?

First recorded before 900; Middle English mother, moder, Old English mōdor; cognate with Dutch moeder, German Mutter, Old Norse mōthir, Latin māter, Greek mḗtēr, mā́tēr, Sanskrit mātar-; all from Proto-Indo-European mātér- As in father, th was substituted for d, possibly on the model of brother

What Bible says about mothers?

The Bible consistently asks followers to honor and love their mothers Examples of this can be seen in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother,” and Leviticus 19:3, “Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father”

What is the biblical meaning of a mother?

Motherhood is spoken of throughout Scripture as a high and important calling God uses the metaphor of mothers to describe the ways He loves and cares for His children (Isaiah 66:13)

What does Proverbs say about mothers?

Bible Verses About Mothers Proverbs 31:25: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come” Proverbs 31:26: “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue”

What is the best word for mother?

• maternal,
• motherly

What is the role of a mother?

A mother plays multiple roles in a child’s development, as she is a teacher in every aspect of a child’s developmental growth – social emotional, physical, cognitive and independence

Why did God create mothers?

God created mothers to carry forth the job no one else could For only such a special heart and soul could carry the triumphs, trenches, and heart-bursting moments of the blessing called motherhood

What are the qualities of a good mother?

• 8 qualities of a mother So, what makes a great mom?
• Patient With patience, you’re less likely to yell or say things you might regret, especially when it’s crunch time in the morning and you need to get out the door
• Respectful
• Strong
• Humble
• Empathetic
• Authoritative
• Supportive

Why are mothers so special?

Mother’s love is unconditional For a mother, a child always remains her baby even if he turns 60 or becomes a tycoon, a leader or a thinker Mothers hold this strong aspect of loving their children in any phase of life or situation This unconditional love of mothers is what makes them so special for every child

What the Bible says about mothers?

Bible Verses About Mothers Isaiah 66:13: “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you” Isaiah 49:15: “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?” Proverbs 31:25: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come”