Skip to main content
mater

mater

3 9.9
A school teacher in old British English
  • noun
  • /ˈmeɪtə/
  • Archaic
translation icon : preceptor
  • As a student at the school, I always looked forward to seeing my mater in the classroom, inspiring us with her knowledge.
  • alma mater

Examples

  • During the school assembly, our mater praised the students for their hard work and dedication.

  • Every year, my mater organizes a charity event to help local families in need.

  • I was back in my alma mater and man, in teacher mode.

  • You were educated abroad, at my alma mater, Oxford, in fact.

  • And still others recalled the school almost literally as an alma mater, a kindly mother.

    Blog text (18)
  • My alma mater, Boston College, tried a different approach, realizing that the Church needed to adapt or die.

    Blog text (16)
  • Your teacher mentioned you're interested in my alma mater.

  • He's speaking next week up at your old alma mater, Fordham.

  • I chose Morehouse College, the alma mater of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Atlanta, GA.

    Blog text (16)
  • After two years without a national win, you've gotta wonder if the Buckeyes made a mistake bringing Snyder back to coach at his old alma mater.

Synonyms

teacher
vsmater
1.0

A person who gives lessons to students in a school or college

is an old British word rather than the common modern occupation name
school teacher
vsmater
82 1.0

A person who helps children or teenagers learn at school

is an earlier British expression rather than the neutral modern job name
schoolteacher
vsmater
61 1.0

A person who works at a school and helps children learn

is an old British word rather than the neutral modern job title
schoolmaster
vsmater
  • UK
11 5.5

A male teacher who is often the head of a school

is an old British word for teachers without male or head sense
marm
vsmater
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A friendly name for a woman teacher used by students

is an old British term rather than an informal affectionate form
dominie
vsmater
  • Archaic
9.9

A person in Scotland who teaches at a school or leads a church

is a general old British term not specific to Scotland or clergy
schoolma'am
vsmater
  • Archaic
9.9

A female teacher who is strict and old-fashioned

is a general old British term not limited to women or strictness

Compounds

30 5.3

The school someone attended, often the one they graduated from

dura mater
  • Specialized
1 9.2

A tough outer layer that covers the brain and spinal cord

pia mater
  • Specialized
9.9

A thin soft layer of tissue that closely covers the brain and spinal cord

How Old-Fashioned

mater
  • Archaic
3 9.9
governess
22 7.9
schoolteacher
61 1.0
teacher
1.0

Surface Forms

mater singular
maters plural

Etymology

Mater was also used in old British schools from the same Latin mater meaning 'mother', because a teacher or housemistress was like a 'mother' to the pupils, and so the word came to mean a woman teacher.