alma mater
alma mater — noun
1. An educational institution where someone once studied and usually graduated from
An educational institution where someone once studied and usually graduated from — a person often calls it my alma mater to express loyalty or affection toward it.
Talia went back to her alma mater to speak at the graduation ceremony.
possessive pronoun + alma mater (institution)
Andrew donates to his alma mater every year to help students pay for school.
verb pattern: donate to + alma mater
The university asked Nala to return to her alma mater for the alumni dinner.
Jin feels proud every time he tells people his alma mater is National Taiwan University.
Many graduates keep in touch with their alma mater through the alumni association.
- school
more general; alma mater implies personal history and loyalty
- university
specific to higher education; alma mater can also refer to secondary schools
- college
used mainly in American English for higher-education institutions
文法句型
possessive + alma mater
用法筆記
Typically used with a possessive determiner such as my, your, his, her, its, or their. The word is singular; the plural form almae matres is sometimes used but uncommon in everyday English.
常見錯誤
2. A piece of music that a learning institution adopts as its own official song, pe
A piece of music that a learning institution adopts as its own official song, performed at formal occasions such as graduation day or alumni gatherings to build a shared sense of belonging.
The choir sang the alma mater at the start of the homecoming football game.
sing + alma mater (song sense)
Graduates stood together to sing their college's alma mater one final time.
possessive + alma mater (song)
Every morning the high school plays its alma mater over the speakers.
Maeve learned the words to her university's alma mater during orientation week.
The alma mater echoed through the old hall as the ceremony came to a close.
- anthem
more general; can refer to national or organizational songs
- hymn
suggests a religious tone; alma mater is not necessarily religious
- fight song
specifically for sports events; alma mater is more ceremonial
文法句型
the + alma mater
singular noun