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

That happened for the first time last weekend for a Division I-A event called the Cherry Blossom Open at her alma mater, the University of Maryland. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Apr. 2025

Ron Rivera, the Panthers’ winningest all-time coach, just accepted the football general manager job at his alma mater, California. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2025

Gober offered him a spot on his staff as an assistant, and Markley got to coach at Colleyville Heritage, his alma mater. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Mar. 2025

The former Duke star picks his alma mater to win the title every season. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fostering mother

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for alma mater

• annunciator
• imprimatur
• underwater
• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater

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