Webster's English Dictionary

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mother

1. moth.er \'m*th-*r\ \-.hu.d\ \-l*s\ n [ME moder, fr. OE mo-dor; akin to 
   OHG mouter mother, L ]mater, Gk me-te-r, Skt ma-trsub-dot> 1a: a female 
   parent  1b1: a woman in authority; specif : the superior of a religious com 
   munity of women 1b2: an old or elderly woman  2: SOURCE, ORIGIN  3: 
   maternal tenderness or affection  - moth.er.hood n
2. mother aj 1a: of, relating to, or being a mother  1b: bearing the 
   relation of a mother  2: derived from or as if from one's mother  3: acting 
   as or providing parental stock - used without reference to sex 
3. mother \'m*th-(*-)rin\ vt or moth.er.ing 1a: to give birth to  1b: to 
   give rise to : PRODUCE  2a: to attribute to a particular person the 
   maternity or origin of  2b: to acknowledge that one is the mother or author 
   of  3: to care for or protect like a mother 
4. mother n [akin to MD modder, mud, lees, dregs, MLG mudde mud] : a slimy 
   membrane composed of yeast and bacterial cells that develops on  the 
   surface of alcoholic liquids undergoing acetous fermentation and is added 
   to wine or cider to produce vinegar