Mother

See also: mother and moth-er

English

Etymology

See mother.

Pronunciation

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Proper noun

Mother

1. (dated) One's mother.
2. (Wicca) One of the triune goddesses of the Lady in Wicca alongside the Crone and Maiden and representing a woman older than a girlish Maiden but younger than an aged Crone.
   • 2002, A.J. Drew, Wicca for Couples: Making Magick Together‎^[1], page 90:

     ...different stages of life as represented by our Lady as Maiden, Mother, and Crone, as well as our Lord as Master, Father, and Sage.

   • 2004, Aurora Greenbough, Cathy Jewell, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spells and Spellcraft, page 9:

     The Lady is often thought of as having three aspects: Maiden, Mother, and Crone.

Synonyms

• Mom, Mum, Mummy
• Goddess

Antonyms

• Father

Noun

Mother (plural Mothers)

1. A title given to a nun or a priestess.
   • 2009, Mary Ryllis Clark, Loreto in Australia, University of New South Wales Press, →ISBN, page 129:

     Mother Teresa Gertrude O’Sullivan, then Provincial, did not give higher education for Loreto nuns the same priority as had Mothers Gonzaga and Stanislaus.

2. A title given to the personification of a force of nature or abstract concept, such as Mother Nature, Mother Russia, or Mother Earth.

See also

• Father
• Mother Nature
• Mother Russia

Anagrams

• thermo-