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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

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English

mother

/ˈmʌð.ə/
A female parent, especially of a human; a female who parents a child (which she has given birth to, adopted, fostered, etc).

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    • derived
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    • meaning component
    • sound component
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    Origin

    Etymology 1

    From Middle English moder, from Old English mōdor, from Proto-West Germanic *mōder, from Proto-Germanic *mōdēr, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr. Doublet of Madeira, mata, mater, matrix, and matter.

    Some have proposed that the "dregs" sense is from Middle Dutch modder (“filth”), from Proto-Germanic *muþraz (“sediment”), but modder is not known in this meaning. On the other hand, words for "mother" have developed the secondary sense of "dregs" in several Romance and Germanic languages; compare Dutch moer, French mère de vinaigre, German Essigmutter, Italian madre, Medieval Latin māter, and Spanish madre.

    Etymology 2

    From Middle English modren, from the noun (see above).

    Etymology 3

    Clipping of motherfucker.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishmoder
      • inheritedOld Englishmōdor “mother”
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*mōder
    • inheritedMiddle Englishmodren
    • derivedEnglishmotherfucker “Expressing dismay, discontent, or surprise.”
      • partEnglishfucker “An undesirable person.”
        • partEnglishfuck “To have sexual intercourse; to copulate.”
        • partEnglish-er “A person or thing that does an action indicated by the root verb; used to form an agent noun.”

    Related: English matter (doublet), English matrix (doublet), English mater (doublet), English mata (doublet), English Madeira (doublet), Dutch moer, French mère de vinaigre, German Essigmutter, Italian madre, Medieval Latin māter, Spanish madre

    Meanings

    noun
    1. A female parent, especially of a human; a female who parents a child (which she has given birth to, adopted, fostered, etc).
    2. A pregnant female; mother-to-be; a female who gestates a baby.
    3. A female who donates a fertilized egg or donates a body cell which has resulted in a clone.
    4. A female ancestor.
    5. A source or origin.
    6. Something that is the greatest or most significant of its kind. (See mother of all.)
    verb
    1. To give birth to or produce (as its female parent) a child. (Compare father.)
    2. To treat as a mother would be expected to treat her child; to nurture.
    3. To cause to contain mother (“that substance which develops in fermenting alcohol and turns it into vinegar”).
    4. To develop mother.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: mother