rhizoverbBeta
DictionarymotherFemale parent
noun / verb

mother

MUTH-ur/ˈmʌðər/

A female parent or a woman who provides parental care.

A mother helps her daughter pack lunch before school.

A mother helping her school-age daughter pack lunch before school, with affectionate closeness and a small family portrait reinforcing their parent–child relationship.
Etymology
motherOld Englishfemale parent

Old English modor already named a woman in relation to her child, so the central meaning has remained stable. German Mutter and Latin māter are related family terms.

In context

Bite-sized Philosophy0:12
a child is seriously overprotected usually a male child by his mother
Jordan Peterson - The Oedipal Mother in a South Park Episode

More examples

  • My adoptive mother teaches me how to cook.
  • He hates being mothered when he has a cold.
  • The town celebrates her as the mother of its public library.

Forms

mother · mothers · mothered · mothering

motherhood noun — The state of being a mother.

motherly adjective — Showing the care typical of a mother.

Similar words

mom
An informal word for mother, especially in family conversation.
parent
Includes a mother or father, without specifying gender.
nurture
Emphasizes supporting growth, not necessarily acting as a mother.