matēr
/ˈmaː.tɛːr/
noun
Origin
Latin
*méh₂tēr — mother
Overview
Meaning Now
- mother
- female parent
- a woman who is a mother
Literal older meaning
mother
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Latin
Earliest form
māter
Earliest period
Classical Latin
Journey
The word is one of the most stable terms in the Indo-European language family, appearing with high similarity across various branches, reflecting the importance of kinship terminology in early societies.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*méh₂tēr
“mother”
- Latin
māter
“mother”
Standard nominative singular form in Classical Latin.
Connections
Word parts
matēr
root
mother
Related across languages
English
mother
Sanskrit
mātṛ
mother
Greek
mḗtēr
mother
Old High German
muoter
mother
Old Irish
máthair
mother
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Related to matēr
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.