A Mother’s Day Post from The Grammar Diva

We interrupt our series of the 7 Deadly Sins of Writing to present our Mother’s Day post . . . .

This post is dedicated to

~ My mother ~ (angel) Beatrice (Gold) Kelfer

~My grandmother ~ (angel) Etta Gold

and the three young adults who make me proud to be a mother!

~ My son ~ Jake Richard Miller

~ My daughter ~ Shelley Gold (Miller) Bindon

~ My son-in-law Joshua Kristian Bindon

Mother: A female parent

The origin of mother is pre-900 from Middle English  moder, Old English mōdor; cognate with Dutch moeder, German Mutter, Old Norse mōthir, Latin māter, Greek mḗtēr, Sanskrit mātar. As in father, th was substituted for d, possibly on the model of brother (from Dictionary.com).

Some of the words that come from the Latin root mater (mother) are common today:

*matrimony – marriage

*matron – a married woman, particularly one with a mature appearance

*matricide – the killing of one’s mother

*matrix – the womb, that from which something originates

*matriarch – female head of  family

 *matriarchy – organization in which the mother is recognized as the head

*maternal – motherly

*maternity – the state of being a mother

*matrifocal – sociological group having a female leader

*matrilineal – derived from the female line of the family

We know that those words are related to the Latin root word that means mother. But we also use  many other “mother” words. Here are some:

*alma mater is the school you graduate from — the mother school.

*mother-in-law

*wicked (or not) stepmother

*motherboard (of a computer)

*motherhood

*Mother Goose

*motherland

*motherlode

*mother of pearl

*mother tongue

*Mother Superior

*Mother Nature

*Mother of God (usually an interjection)

*Fairy Godmother

*mother hen

*housemother

*den mother

*Mothers of Invention

*Earth mother

and of course . . .

*Mother F….

otherwise, simply known as “Mother,” or, alternatively, “Mutha”

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So, what is a mother? When our human babies leave the nest, many of us adopt fur babies, the dogs and cats that become our new children. (Possibly feather babies, as well.) So we know that not only do we not need to be biologically related to be a mother, but we don’t even need to be of the same species. 

We can even be mothers to things that are not living.  Many of us have “birthed” books, for example. There are actually people who help other people birth their books, sometimes called book midwives. After you have slaved over a hot computer for months — sometimes years — and have produced a book, you certainly feel as if you have given birth to something. 

How clever of me to go from mothers to books! That reminds me to tell you again that I will be launching my new book – The Best Grammar Workbook Ever – on Friday, May 15 (mark your calendars) at 7 p.m. at the Petaluma Copperfield’s Books for those of you who are local. If you reserve a seat, your book (should you choose to purchase one) is 20% off. But don’t feel you have to buy anything! There will be chocolate cake and a giveaway. And I will be talking about something that is related to words and language!

A book launch: A celebration of birth. So is it to be likened to a Christening? Baptism? No, wait… I am Jewish. A bris? Oh, I don’t think so. And the book isn’t old enough for a Bar Mitzvah. Or is the book female, and is it a Bat Mitzvah? I will have to think about this . . .

To close, here are a few quotes about mothers you might enjoy:

Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved. –Erich Fromm

Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life. –Sophocles

Yes, Mother. I can see you are flawed. You have not hidden it. That is your greatest gift to me. –Alice Walker

A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother’s love endures through all. –Washington Irving

My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent. –Ruth Bader Ginsburg

No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother. –Margaret Sange

Happy Mother’s Day to all types of mothers!