- Mother wit
- 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.
