second mother

2 4.3

A woman who cares for someone like a mother, often with or instead of their own mother

noun
/ˈsɛkənd ˈmʌðər/

: segunda madre

What my first mother was not able to accomplish with raps and tears, my second mother did with the assistance of angels.
became a second mother

Examples

When my mother went back to work, my grandmother stepped in as a second mother, caring for me every day.
This woman has been like a second mother to me.

Blog text (32)
It's a little hard because my aunt (who was pretty much my second mother) lost her.

Blog text (29)
We spent weekends and holidays on Jura, and his parents were a second mother and father to me.

Blog text (4)
She looked after her aging parents and helped her sister raise four boys, all of whom regarded her, I know, as a second mother.

Fiction book (1996)
They adored you, and Amelia behaved like a second mother to you.

Fiction book (1996)
In her wisdom, cultivated by patience and longsuffering faith, she consigned me to my second mother, who was, after all, able to convert my erring ways.

Blog text (4)
After losing her biological mother, Maria found comfort in her aunt, who became a second mother to her.
Growing up, I spent so much time with my best friend's family that her mom felt like a second mother to me.

Synonyms

mother figure

vssecond mother

3 3.2

A woman who cares for and guides someone like a parent

acts as an additional or substitute maternal caregiver rather than only offering guidance

How Maternal

adoptive parent

28 3.2

foster mother

14 3.0

second mother

2 4.3

guardian

347 2.8

mentor

245 2.7

friend

503 1.0

Surface Forms

second mother singular

second mothers plural

Morphology

second + mother

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'second' (an additional or alternate) + 'mother' (a maternal figure), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a woman who fills a motherly role in addition to or instead of one's biological mother. The 'second + role' pattern is a regular, cross-linguistic compositional strategy and follows standard English noun modification, making the expression immediately comprehensible.

Etymology

The noun second mother comes from a simple image of a second woman who acts like a mother, such as a grandmother, aunt, or teacher who steps in to care for a child. So, a 'second mother' is a woman who takes on a 'motherly role' in someone's life.