Alma Mater
/ˌæl.mə ˈmeɪ.tər/noun
A school, college, or university that someone attended, or the institution that nurtured them.
Did you know?The phrase was famously used for goddesses like Ceres and Venus in Latin poetry before it became the affectionate name for a school that “feeds” your mind.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
alma mater
“nourishing mother; a title for a motherly goddess or beneficent female figure”
Medieval Latin
Latin
alma mater
“a nurturing mother figure, especially in learned or religious contexts”
17th Century
Latin/English
alma mater
“an academic institution regarded as a motherly nourisher of students”
Modern English
English
alma mater
“a school, college, or university one attended”