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

Walker’s time in Miami also allotted him the opportunity to return to Miami Gardens Monsignor Pace High School, his alma mater, to help his father coach football. —C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2025

Steph Curry has been named assistant general manager at his alma mater — Davidson College. —Ashley Mahoney, Axios, 10 Mar. 2025

This time, Repole will have much better seats, sitting courtside near the St. John’s bench and rooting for his alma mater. —Tim Casey, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025

Last year, Bloomberg Philanthropies gave $1 billion to Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg’s alma mater, to cover the full tuition for medical students whose families earn under $300,000. —Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 7 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