Etymology Map
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Mother

3 stages from Proto-Germanic to English.

Today it means a female parent

Where does the word "mother" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic mōdēr, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
mōdēr
Proto-Germanic · ancient
"mother"
shares an ancient root with Latin 'mater', Greek 'mētēr' and Sanskrit 'mātṛ'
2
Stage 2 of 3
mōdor
Old English · 700s-1000s
"mother"
spelled with a 'd' until the 1500s, when it shifted to 'th', as 'fæder' did to 'father'
3
Stage 3 of 3
mother
English · 1500s
"female parent"
'mother tongue', for one's first language, is recorded from the late 1300s
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Read the full story

Mother’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: mōdēr meant “mother.” Shares an ancient root with Latin 'mater', Greek 'mētēr' and Sanskrit 'mātṛ'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as mōdor. Spelled with a 'd' until the 1500s, when it shifted to 'th', as 'fæder' did to 'father'. It reached English by 1500s as mother. 'mother tongue', for one's first language, is recorded from the late 1300s. Today, mother means a female parent.