mother church

noun

1
archaic : a parish church
the mother churches … and rural chapels in the late Saxon and early Norman periodsBulletin of Institute of Historical Research
2
: the principal church of a locality or land
specifically : a cathedral or a metropolitan church
the mother church … which no visitor to these parts should fail to see T. I. Ellis
3
: the original church from which others have sprung
the mother church of Unitarianism in AmericaLeo Pfeffer
4
: the original church or communion in which a person has been nurtured
returning to his mother church, he died in obscurityK. S. Latourette

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Cite this Entry

“Mother church.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mother%20church. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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