alma mater
Other forms: alma maters
Your alma mater is your old school, college, or university. It's generally used as a positive term, implying reverence and loyalty for the nurturing qualities of the institution.
Alma mater comes from two Latin words meaning "nourishing or bountiful mother." Originally it was used as a term by the ancient Romans to describe their goddesses, but by the early 18th century in Britain it had come to refer to one's university. Because of this historical background, there's a suggestion about alma mater that it refers to a prestigious place of learning — though that association has largely disappeared.
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your alma mater is a school you graduated fromtype of:schoolan educational institution
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Vocabulary lists containing alma mater
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