Mother

1. moth·er - noun \ˈmə-thər\

Definition

1a :  a female parent
 b (1) :  a woman in authority; specifically :  the superior of a religious community of women ...
 b(2) :  an old or elderly woman
2:  source, origin <necessity is the mother of invention>
3:  maternal tenderness or affection
4:  something that is an extreme or ultimate example of its kind especially in terms of scale <the mother of all construction projects>

— moth·er·hood  noun

— moth·er·less  adjective
— moth·er·less·ness noun

Origin

Middle English moder, from Old English mōdor; akin to Old High German muoter mother, Latin mater, Greek mētēr, Sanskrit mātṛ

First Known Use: before 12th century

2. mother - adjective

Definition

1a :  of, relating to, or being a mother
1b :  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

Examples

<she often offered to babysit for friends, hoping to satisfy her mother urges until she had children of her own>

3. mother - verb

1 : to give birth to (a child)
2 : to be or act as mother to (someone) : to care for or protect (someone) like a mother

moth·ered  moth·er·ing

transitive verb

1a :  to give birth to
1b :  to give rise to :  produce
2:  to care for or protect like a mother

Examples

She mothered two sons but no daughters.
<I hope to mother at least one child.>

Synonyms

birth [chiefly dialect], deliver, drop, have, bear, produce

Near Antonyms

abort, lose, miscarry

Other Embryology Terms

gravid, neonate, ontogeny

Medical Definition

: a female parent