Mother tongue

Mother tongue
Mother Moth"er, a. Received by birth or from ancestors; native, natural; as, mother language; also acting the part, or having the place of a mother; producing others; originating. [1913 Webster]

It is the mother falsehood from which all idolatry is derived. --T. Arnold. [1913 Webster]

{Mother cell} (Biol.), a cell which, by endogenous divisions, gives rise to other cells (daughter cells); a parent cell.

{Mother church}, the original church; a church from which other churches have sprung; as, the mother church of a diocese.

{Mother country}, the country of one's parents or ancestors; the country from which the people of a colony derive their origin.

{Mother liquor} (Chem.), the impure or complex residual solution which remains after the salts readily or regularly crystallizing have been removed.

{Mother queen}, the mother of a reigning sovereign; a queen mother.

{Mother tongue}. (a) A language from which another language has had its origin. (b) The language of one's native land; native tongue.

{Mother water}. See {Mother liquor} (above).

{Mother wit}, natural or native wit or intelligence. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • mother tongue — n especially BrE your mother tongue is the first and main language that you learnt when you were a child = ↑native language/tongue ▪ children for whom English is not their mother tongue …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Mother Tongue — bezeichnet: Mother Tongue (Journal), eine linguistische Fachzeitschrift Mother Tongue (Band), eine kalifornische Alternative Rockband Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben Wort …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • mother tongue — mother tongues also mother tongue N COUNT: oft poss N Your mother tongue is the language that you learn from your parents when you are a baby. Syn: native tongue …   English dictionary

  • mother tongue — mother ,tongue noun count usually singular the main language you learn as a child …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • mother tongue — ► NOUN ▪ a person s native language …   English terms dictionary

  • mother tongue — n. 1. one s native language 2. a language in its relation to another derived from it …   English World dictionary

  • mother tongue — UK / US noun [countable, usually singular] Word forms mother tongue : singular mother tongue plural mother tongues the main language that you learn as a child …   English dictionary

  • mother tongue — Inglish (Indian English) Dictionary Native language; I live in Delhi but my mother tongue is Oriya …   English dialects glossary

  • mother-tongue — see mother tongue …   English dictionary

  • mother tongue — noun (C) the first and main language that you learn as a child: Her mother tongue is French …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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