mother

The word “mother” means a female parent. In plain terms, a female parent, or, more broadly, the origin of something, or the act of caring for someone protectively.

“Mother” is pronounced MUHTH-uh (/ˈmʌðɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “mother” used in a sentence: “Her mother taught her to bake when she was six.”

Words with a similar meaning to “mother” include dam, mater, matriarch, Colloquial or slang synonyms:, ma and mama.

The opposite of “mother” — its antonyms — are father, daughter, son, child and offspring.

Depending on how it is used, “mother” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “mother” comes from Old English. From Old English modor, from a very old Proto-Indo-European root that also gave us "matter", "matrix" and "Madeira".

“Mother” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

They refer to the same person — a female parent — but differ in tone. 'Mother' is more formal and is used in writing, respectful speech, or when talking about her in general. 'Mom' (or 'mum' in British English) is the warm, informal name a child actually calls her.

A mother is a person's own female parent, related by birth or adoption. A stepmother is the wife of someone's father who is not that child's biological or adoptive parent. She joins the family through marriage rather than by giving birth to or adopting the child.

Informal and affectionate options include mom, mum, mama, and ma. More formal or descriptive terms include parent and, for the head of a family line, matriarch. The choice usually depends on how formal you want to sound and whether you are addressing her or describing her.

There is no exact opposite, but the natural counterpart is 'father,' the male parent. In the sense of parent versus offspring, the opposite would be 'child,' 'son,' or 'daughter.' Which one fits depends on whether you are contrasting the two parents or the two generations.