alma mater
noun /ˌælmə ˈmɑːtə(r)/, /ˌælmə ˈmeɪtə(r)/
/ˌælmə ˈmɑːtər/
(also Alma Mater)
[singular] (especially North American English)- the school, college or university that somebody went to
- He donated $20 million to his alma mater, Columbia University.
Word Originmid 17th cent. (in the general sense ‘someone or something providing nourishment’): Latin, literally ‘generous mother’.