mother (mothers plural & 3rd person present) (mothering present participle) (mothered past tense & past participle )
1 n-family Your mother is the woman who gave birth to you. You can also call someone your mother if she brings you up as if she was this woman.
She sat on the edge of her mother's bed..., She's an English teacher and a mother of two children..., I'm here, Mother.
2 verb If a woman mothers a child, she looks after it and brings it up, usually because she is its mother.
Colleen had dreamed of mothering a large family. V n
mothering n-uncount
The reality of mothering is frequently very different from the romantic ideal.
3 verb If you mother someone, you treat them with great care and affection, as if they were a small child. Stop mothering me. V n
mother country (mother countries plural ), Mother Country
1 n-count Someone's mother country is the country in which they or their ancestors were born and to which they still feel emotionally linked, even if they live somewhere else.
oft with poss
(=motherland)
Dr Kengerli looks to Turkey as his mother country.
2 n-sing If you refer to the mother country of a particular state or country, you are referring to the very powerful country that used to control its affairs.
usu the N
Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, had no colonial conflict with the mother country.
mother figure (mother figures plural ), mother-figure If you regard someone as a mother figure, you think of them as having the role of a mother and being the person you can turn to for help, advice, or support. n-count
mother-in-law (mothers-in-law plural )Someone's mother-in-law is the mother of their husband or wife. n-count oft poss N
Mother Nature
Mother Nature is sometimes used to refer to nature, especially when it is being considered as a force that affects human beings. n-uncount
...when Mother Nature created Iceland out of volcanic lava and glaciers.
Mother of God
In Christianity, the Mother of God is another name for the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. n-proper
mother-of-pearl , mother of pearl
Mother-of-pearl is the shiny layer on the inside of some shells. It is used to make buttons or to decorate things. n-uncount
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a special day on which children give cards and presents to their mothers as a sign of their love for them. In Britain, Mother's Day is the fourth Sunday in Lent. In the United States, it is the second Sunday in May. n-uncount
Mother Superior (Mother Superiors plural )A Mother Superior is a nun who is in charge of the other nuns in a convent. n-count
mother-to-be (mothers-to-be plural )A mother-to-be is a woman who is pregnant, especially for the first time. n-count
mother tongue (mother tongues plural ), mother-tongue Your mother tongue is the language that you learn from your parents when you are a baby. n-count oft poss N
(=native tongue)
Queen Mother
The Queen Mother is the mother of a ruling king or queen. n-proper the N
surrogate mother (surrogate mothers plural )A surrogate mother is a woman who has agreed to give birth to a baby on behalf of another woman. n-count
