mother

I. noun Etymology: Middle English moder, from Old English mōdor; akin to Old High German muoter mother, Latin mater, Greek mētēr, Sanskrit mātṛ Date: before 12th century 1. a. a female parent b. (1) a woman in authority; specifically the superior of a religious community of women (2) an old or elderly woman 2. source, origin <

necessity is the mother of invention

> 3. maternal tenderness or affection 4. [short for motherfucker] sometimes vulgar motherfucker 5. something that is an extreme or ultimate example of its kind especially in terms of scale <

the mother of all construction projects

> • motherhood noun • motherless adjective • motherlessness noun II. adjective Date: 13th century 1. a. of, relating to, or being a mother b. bearing the relation of a mother 2. derived from or as if from one's mother 3. acting as or providing parental stock — used without reference to sex III. transitive verb (mothered; mothering) Date: 1548 1. a. to give birth to b. to give rise to ; produce 2. to care for or protect like a mother IV. noun Etymology: archaic mother dregs, lees; akin to Middle Dutch moeder dregs Date: circa 1828 mother of vinegar