alma mater

noun

al·​ma ma·​ter ˌal-mə-ˈmä-tər 

1

: a school, college, or university which one has attended or from which one has graduated

went to a class reunion at his alma mater

2

: the song or hymn of a school, college, or university

"Hey, Harvard boy, sing your alma mater!" shouted an obnoxious producer.

—Phil Kloer

Examples of alma mater in a Sentence

I visited my old alma mater last week.

Recent Examples on the Web

Weeks before the adaptation hit movie theaters, it was screened at Morehouse College in Atlanta, John David’s alma mater. —Ronda Racha Penrice, NBC News, 9 Nov. 2024

Harris will be at her college alma mater Howard University, while Trump will be watching from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. —The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

Your guide to polling sites, mail-in deadlines, more Harris is in Washington, D.C., and plans to celebrate election night at Howard University, her alma mater. —Terry Moseley, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024

On election night, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), will attend a watch party at Howard University, Harris’s alma mater, in Washington. —Annabella Rosciglione, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fostering mother

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

alma mater

noun

al·​ma ma·​ter ˌal-mə-ˈmät-ər 

: a school, college, or university that one has attended

Etymology

Latin, literally "fostering mother," from almus "nourishing" (from alire "to nourish") and mater "mother" — related to alimentary, maternal