allomother

noun

al·​lo·​moth·​er ˈa-lə-ˌmə-t͟hər 

plural allomothers

: an individual other than the biological mother of an offspring that performs the functions of a mother (as by caring for an infant temporarily)

The allomother suckled the second infant for two and one-half minutes before it was retrieved by its own mother.

—Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, The Langurs of Abu: Female and Male Strategies of Reproduction, 1980

… by five months of age, babies spend more time with allomothers than with their own mother …

—Claudia R. Valeggia, in Substitute Parents: Biological and Social Perspectives on Alloparenting, 2009

allomother verb, transitive + intransitive

allomothers; allomothered; allomothering

… older sisters are readily available to allomother their younger siblings …

—Bernard Chapais, in Cooperation in Primates and Humans: Mechanisms and Evolution, 2006

Among elephants, allomothering practice did not appear to compensate for direct experience with an offspring.

—Phyllis C. Lee, Animal Behaviour, February 1987

Word History

Etymology

allo- + mother entry 1

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

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