mother
mother — 形容詞
1. describing a female parent or the qualities and role usually linked to being a m
母親的
與母親相關的或母親身分的
describing a female parent or the qualities and role usually linked to being a mother
Visitors at the wildlife centre watched a mother elephant bathe her calf in the muddy pool.
野生動物中心的訪客看著一頭母象在小泥池裡幫小象洗澡。
mother + noun: animal parents
Imran keeps his mother's old recipe book on the kitchen shelf and uses it every weekend.
Imran 把母親的舊食譜放在廚房架上，每個週末都會拿出來用。
possessive + mother's noun: belonging pattern
The mother cat's loud purring could be heard from across the room whenever her kittens were near.
每當小貓在附近時，母貓大聲的呼嚕聲在房間另一頭都聽得到。
All the mothers in the neighbourhood took turns walking the children to school.
社區裡所有的母親輪流送孩子們上學。
The mother hen kept her chicks warm under her feathers during the sudden rainstorm.
突如其來的暴雨中，母雞把小雞們護在翅膀下保暖。
- maternal
more formal and clinical; used in medical or psychological contexts
- father
male parent, opposite gender
文法句型
mother + noun
2. having a relationship with someone that is like the one a mother has, such as gu
如母的
關係上像母親一般的
having a relationship with someone that is like the one a mother has, such as guiding or caring for them without being their biological parent
Selim saw his aunt as a mother figure who guided him through every difficult year at school.
Selim 把阿姨當作母親般的人物，在他求學的每個難關指引他。
mother figure: key compound for this sense
The older teacher became a mother figure for the new students far from home.
那位年長的老師成了離鄉背井的新生們的母親般的人物。
mother figure: common compound
After his parents moved abroad, Niran found a mother figure in the kindly teacher who lived next door.
Niran 的父母移居國外後，他發現隔壁那位和藹的老師成了母親般的人物。
Tariro saw her dance teacher as a mother figure who taught her much more than just steps.
Tariro 把舞蹈老師視為母親般的人物，學到的不只是舞步。
- maternal
less specific; can describe personality without implying a caregiving role
文法句型
mother + noun
用法筆記
Often used as part of a compound noun like 'mother figure' or 'mother substitute' rather than as a standalone modifier.
3. belonging to a person from birth as if inherited or learned naturally from their
天生；母語
與生俱來而非後天習得的
belonging to a person from birth as if inherited or learned naturally from their mother, rather than acquired through study
Mandarin Chinese is Bao's mother tongue, but he also speaks English and French.
Bao 的母語是中文，但他也會說英文和法文。
mother tongue: native language
The ancient cathedral in León serves as the mother church for more than fifty Catholic parishes across the region.
萊昂的古老教堂是該地區五十多個天主教教區的母教堂。
mother church: originating religious institution
Lucía wrote the song in her mother tongue, Quechua, and later translated it into Spanish for the international album.
Lucía 用她的母語克丘亞語寫了這首歌，後來為了國際專輯翻譯成西班牙語。
Élise learned to cook by watching her grandmother, speaking only their mother tongue, Gujarati, in the kitchen.
Élise 透過觀察祖母做飯學會了烹飪，在廚房裡只說她們的母語古吉拉特語。
- native
used with 'language'; 'mother tongue' is the more natural fixed expression
文法句型
mother + noun
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used in fixed expressions such as 'mother tongue', 'mother wit', and 'mother lode'.
常見錯誤
4. serving as the original or main source from which other things of the same kind
母體；源頭
作為原始來源供其他事物發展的
serving as the original or main source from which other things of the same kind grow or are produced
The mother ship remained in orbit while the shuttles explored the planet below.
母船留在軌道上，而小艇則前往下方星球探險。
mother ship: source vessel
The original bakery in Marseille became the mother company that now operates twenty branches across France.
馬賽的那間原始麵包店成了母公司，如今在法國各地經營二十家分店。
mother company: source organisation
All the orchids in the greenhouse were grown from cuttings of the same mother plant.
溫室裡所有的蘭花都是從同一株母株的枝條培育出來的。
The research centre in Geneva is the mother laboratory where all of the team's major discoveries began.
日內瓦的研究中心是母實驗室，團隊所有重大發現都是從那裡開始的。
- parent
used in similar compounds: 'parent company', 'parent plant'
- offspring
what is produced from the parent stock
文法句型
mother + noun
用法筆記
Common in technical and business contexts: 'mother ship', 'mother company', 'mother plant', 'mother church'. The meaning is always 'the original version that others come from'.
mother — 名詞
1. the female person who raises a child or brings one into the world, acting as tha
母親；媽媽
生育或養育小孩的女性
the female person who raises a child or brings one into the world, acting as that child's parent
Heloísa called her mother every Sunday evening to share the week's news.
Heloísa 每週日晚上都會打電話給母親，分享這一週發生的事。
possessive + mother: standard pattern
Mizuki's mother taught her how to make proper miso soup when she was eight years old.
Mizuki 的母親在她八歲時就教她怎麼煮道地的味噌湯。
The mother of the bride wore a blue dress and held a small bouquet of white flowers.
新娘的母親穿著藍色洋裝，手裡拿著一小束白花。
Talia became a mother at the age of twenty-nine and says it changed her life completely.
Talia 在二十九歲時成為母親，她說這個身分完全改變了她的人生。
The stray dog that arrived last winter became the mother of five healthy puppies born in the garden shed.
去年冬天來的流浪狗在花園小屋裡生了五隻健康的小狗，成了牠們的母親。
文法句型
someone's mother
the mother of someone
用法筆記
Can also refer to a female animal that has given birth. The word 'mom' is the more informal American equivalent; 'mum' is British.
常見錯誤
2. a title for a nun who leads a convent or holds a senior rank in a community of r
修女長；姆姆
對高階修女或修道院院長的尊稱
a title for a nun who leads a convent or holds a senior rank in a community of religious women
Mother Teresa is one of the most famous nuns of the twentieth century.
德蕾莎修女是二十世紀最著名的修女之一。
Mother + name: honorific title
The convent's Mother Superior decided to open a small school for local girls.
這間修道院的院長決定為當地女孩開辦一所小型學校。
Niran spoke with Mother Agnes about joining the order after finishing university.
Niran 和 Agnes 院長討論大學畢業後加入修會的事。
The mother superior welcomed the visitors with tea and freshly baked bread.
修道院的院長以茶和新鮮出爐的麵包款待訪客。
- Mother Superior
specific title for the head of a convent
文法句型
Mother + name
用法筆記
Always capitalised when used as a title before a name: 'Mother Teresa', 'Mother Superior'. Without a name, 'mother' is lowercase: 'the mother of the convent'.
3. in sourdough bread-making, the reserved fermented starter from a prior batch tha
麵種
保持下來用來發酵酸麵包的麵粉混合物
in sourdough bread-making, the reserved fermented starter from a prior batch that gives the next loaf its tangy rise and chewy texture
Sofia fed her sourdough mother every morning with fresh flour and water to keep it bubbly and active.
Sofia 每天早上用新鮮麵粉和水餵養她的酸種母麵團，讓它保持活躍冒泡。
feed the sourdough mother: regular baker's routine
Beatrix's sourdough mother has been kept alive for twelve years and still produces a perfectly tangy loaf each week.
Beatrix 的酸種母麵團已經養了十二年，每週仍能烤出酸味恰到好處的麵包。
present perfect + time span: long-term maintenance of starter
The baker shared a piece of his sourdough mother starter with a friend who wanted to start baking at home.
這位麵包師傅分了一塊酸種母麵團給想在家做麵包的朋友。
The baker's sourdough mother was over thirty years old and had travelled with him from Germany.
那位麵包師傅的酸種母麵團已經超過三十年，是他從德國帶來的。
- starter
more common term; 'mother' is more traditional among artisan bakers
- mother dough
alternative name
文法句型
mother + noun (mother dough)
用法筆記
Also called 'mother dough' or 'starter'. The word 'mother' here refers to the culture that 'gives birth' to each new loaf of bread.
4. a gelatinous film or mass of bacteria and yeast that develops in fermenting liqu
菌種；醋母
發酵液體中的細菌或酵母團塊
a gelatinous film or mass of bacteria and yeast that develops in fermenting liquids such as vinegar or kombucha, kept and reused to start new batches of the same fermented product
Tariro noticed a cloudy film forming on the apple cider and realised it was the mother of vinegar.
Tariro 注意到蘋果西打上浮著一層混濁薄膜，便知道那是醋母。
mother of vinegar: specific compound
Kombucha is made by adding a SCOBY — also called the mother — to sweet tea.
康普茶是在甜茶中加入 SCOBY（也就是菌種）製成的。
If you keep the mother from your homemade vinegar, you can use it to start the next batch.
如果你保留自製醋裡的醋母，就可以用來發酵下一批醋。
Tariro passed a piece of her kombucha mother to a friend who wanted to brew her own.
Tariro 分了一塊康普茶菌種給想自己釀茶的朋友。
文法句型
mother of + liquid
用法筆記
Most often found in 'mother of vinegar' and 'SCOBY' (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). The 'mother' is the living culture that transforms the liquid.
5. an abstract force, condition, or source that gives rise to something else, shown
根源；起源
促使事物發生的源頭或動機
an abstract force, condition, or source that gives rise to something else, shown in the proverb 'Necessity is the mother of invention'
Necessity is the mother of invention, as the old saying goes.
俗話說，需要為發明之母。
proverb: necessity is the mother of invention
The Nile River, which floods and fertilises the land every year, is often called the mother of Egyptian civilisation.
每年氾濫並滋養土地的尼羅河，常被稱為埃及文明之母。
the mother of + noun: source or origin
In the documentary, a community organiser described lack of opportunity as the mother of crime in poor neighbourhoods.
在那部紀錄片中，一位社區組織者將缺乏機會描述為貧窮社區的犯罪之母。
Many historians regard the Silk Road as the mother of global cultural exchange between ancient East and West.
許多歷史學家將絲路視為古代東西方文化交流之母。
- source
less poetic; neutral term for origin
- origin
more literal; no metaphorical weight
- wellspring
more literary; suggests continuous flow
- product
result, not the cause
文法句型
the mother of something
用法筆記
Most commonly used in the fixed proverb 'necessity is the mother of invention' and in the pattern 'X is the mother of Y', where X is the driving force or source.
6. a way of addressing or referring to an older woman, especially when the speaker
大媽；老太太
對不認識的年長女性的稱呼
a way of addressing or referring to an older woman, especially when the speaker does not know her name, used mainly by children or in informal situations
The young courier handed the parcel to the elderly lady and said, "Here you are, Mother, please sign here."
年輕的快遞員把包裹遞給老太太說：「大媽，請在這裡簽收。」
Mother as polite address to elderly woman
The neighbourhood children called the widow next door 'Mother' because she always gave them sweets after school.
鄰居的孩子們叫隔壁的寡婦「大媽」，因為她放學後總是給他們糖果。
The young girl smiled at her elderly neighbour and said, "Thank you, Mother, for the biscuits."
小女孩對年長的鄰居笑著說：「大媽，謝謝妳的餅乾。」
In a 1950s British film, the shopkeeper greets older women with "Good morning, Mother."
在一部 1950 年代的英國電影中，店主對年長女性顧客打招呼說：「大媽早。」
- ma'am
more neutral and widely used polite address for a woman
文法句型
Mother (as address)
用法筆記
Now considered old-fashioned in most English-speaking regions. More common in older British literature or certain rural communities. In modern usage it may sound dated or overly familiar.
7. used in the fixed hyperbolic expression 'the mother of all + noun' to describe t
之最；終極
用來強調某事物規模或程度極端的誇飾說法
used in the fixed hyperbolic expression 'the mother of all + noun' to describe the biggest, most extreme, or most impressive instance of something, often with playful exaggeration
The storm last night was the mother of all thunderstorms, with hail the size of golf balls.
昨晚的暴風雨是所有暴風雨之母，冰雹有高爾夫球那麼大。
the mother of all + noun: extreme example
Esme called her final exam the mother of all tests and studied for two weeks straight.
Esme 稱她的期末考是考試之母，連續準備了整整兩週。
Traffic on Friday evening was the mother of all traffic jams, stretching for over twenty kilometres.
週五晚上的交通是所有塞車之母，車陣綿延超過二十公里。
The wedding reception was the mother of all parties, with live music and food from five different countries.
那場婚禮派對是所有派對之母，有現場演奏和來自五個國家的美食。
- mother of all
fixed phrase; no single-word synonym captures the hyperbolic meaning
文法句型
the mother of all + noun
用法筆記
Always used in the fixed phrase 'the mother of all + noun'. Originated from the Gulf War phrase 'the mother of all battles' and has since become a general humorous intensifier.
mother — 動詞
1. to take care of someone with the kind of gentle, protective attention that a mot
呵護；寵
像母親一樣過度保護或照顧
to take care of someone with the kind of gentle, protective attention that a mother shows, sometimes in a way that is too protective or prevents them from becoming independent
Sofia's grandmother still mothers her as if she were a little girl of five.
Sofia 的奶奶仍把她當成五歲小女孩來寵。
mothers + someone: protective care
Talia told her friend to stop mothering her and let her make her own decisions.
Talia 告訴朋友別再像媽媽一樣管她，讓她自己做決定。
stop mothering: disapproving tone
The older students mothered the new arrivals during their first week at the boarding school.
高年級學生在新生入學的第一週像母親一樣照顧他們。
Mizuki likes to mother her younger cousins when they visit, making sure they have snacks and warm blankets.
Mizuki 喜歡在表弟妹來訪時寵他們，幫他們準備點心和暖毯子。
文法句型
mother + someone
用法筆記
Often carries a slightly negative or critical tone, suggesting that the care is excessive or unwanted. Less common in American English than in British English.
2. to bring a child into the world through childbirth; also used more broadly to me
生育；催生
生下孩子或創造出某事物
to bring a child into the world through childbirth; also used more broadly to mean to create or originate something as its source
Noor's great-grandmother mothered three children before her thirtieth birthday.
Noor 的曾祖母在三十歲生日前生了三個孩子。
mothered + number + children: gave birth to
Dr. Okafor is widely credited with mothering an entirely new branch of cancer research at the Kampala institute.
Okafor 博士被普遍認為在坎帕拉的研究所催生了一個全新的癌症研究領域。
mothering an idea: figurative creation
Hui's great-grandmother mothered eight children in a fishing village where there was no school.
Hui 的曾祖母在沒有學校的漁村裡生了八個孩子。
The architect says she mothered the design for almost a decade before the city council approved the project.
這位建築師說，她醞釀這個設計將近十年，市議會才批准該計畫。
- give birth to
the neutral, everyday expression for having a child
- bear
more formal; used in written contexts
- create
used for the figurative sense only
文法句型
mother + child
mother + idea/project
用法筆記
When used literally for giving birth, 'mother' is less common than 'give birth to' and sounds somewhat formal or literary. The figurative use ('mother an idea') is more common in modern writing.