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MOTHER

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Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 906 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MOTHER , the See also:

term for the See also:female See also:parent of a See also:child. The word, like See also:father, is See also:common to Indo-See also:European See also:languages, cf. in See also:Teutonic languages, Ger. Mutter, Du. moeder, Swed. and See also:Dan. moder; See also:Gothic is the exception in Teutonic languages, the word being aithei, cf. See also:atta, father; from See also:Lat. mater come, in Romanic, Fr. See also:mere, Ital., Span. and See also:Port., madre. See also:Greek has µ'rqp, (See also:Attic and Ionic), µargp (Doric). The See also:Russian word is See also:mat. The Sansk. mata points to an See also:original derivation from a See also:stem ma, to measure, or make. Of the many transferred applications of " mother " may be mentioned those to the See also:church, to nature, to the See also:earth, and to a See also:city or nation, as the parent of other cities, nations, colonies, &c. As a See also:title " mother " is particularly applied to the See also:head of a religious community of See also:women. For " mother-of-See also:pearl " see PEARL. There is a particular application of " mother " to the scum which rises to the See also:surface of a liquor during the See also:process of See also:fermentation, and also to a See also:mass of gummy stringy consistency formed in See also:vinegar in the process of acetous fermentation, hence known as " mother of vinegar " (see VINEGAR). This is usually, however, taken to be another word altogether, and connected with Du. modder, mud, mire.

End of Article: MOTHER

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