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Glite Dictionary
Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa

41 3.2
A nun born in Albania who spent her life helping poor people in Kolkata, India
  • proper noun
: Madre Teresa
  • Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity to provide care for those in need.
  • the beatification of Mother Teresa
  • the work of Mother Teresa
  • the life of Mother Teresa

Examples

  • When seeking direction in my own life, I always think Mother Teresa's wisdom is a good place to start.

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  • It's been said that when Mother Teresa was asked if she would join an anti-war march, she said, "No."

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  • I really believe in you, not because of you (chances are we haven't met) but because you were made by the God who made Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa and Steve Jobs.

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  • I will never buy a product from your company and will spread the word that you're openly associating yourselves with a megalomaniacal speed freak who would make Newt Gingrich look like Mother Teresa.

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  • Susan Conroy, who spent 11 years as a close friend of Mother Teresa, working with her for a time in Calcutta, and through her learning of St. Therese of Lisieux and translating several books by her or related to her, also spoke of counseling her own beloved father.

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  • Mother Teresa devoted her life to helping the poorest people in Kolkata.

  • Many people remember Mother Teresa for her compassion and selfless service to others.

Surface Forms

Mother Teresa main

Morphology

Mother + Teresa

This is a proper name: knowing 'mother' as a title used for senior nuns and the personal name 'Teresa' may let a B1 learner infer this refers to a religious woman or nun, so some basic sense is recoverable. However, the specific identity, fame, and details of her charitable work are not derivable from the constituents alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Mother Teresa was the name a nun chose when she joined a religious community—she took the name Teresa after a saint and, as head of her group, was called Mother. She lived and worked in India caring for the poorest, so today Mother Teresa is a short way to speak of great 'kindness' and care for the poor.