mother, noun
- Origin:
- EnglishShow more Translation of the equivalent words in the Sintu (Bantu) languages, which are used in a wider sense than the English mother; see Ma- prefix1, Mama, Mma-, and Mme.
1. Among speakers of Sintu (Bantu) languages: any of the group of female clan members, including one’s physical mother; a female contemporary of one’s mother.
1966 P. Becker in Lantern Sept. 3In Bantu society, my father together with all his brothers would be my fathers, and my mother together with all her sisters, would be my mothers.
1983 N.S. Ndebele Fools 66That is where your grandmother and grandfather are. Your uncles. Your younger mothers. They are all there.
2. In the phrase Mother of the Nation (also with small initials), an honorific given to Nomzamo Winnie Mandela because of her leadership in the anti-apartheid struggle, her prominence in the African National Congress, and her marriage to Nelson Mandela, leader of the ANC, at the time this name was coined. Also attributive.
[1985 M.G. Buthelezi in N.W. Mandela Part of my Soul 19Nomzamo Mandela is more than just another black person...In a very deep sense she qualifies for the title of being ‘The Mother of Black People’.]
1993 Daily News 9 Dec. 4The endearing name ‘Mama Wetu’ (Mother of the Nation) is rarely heard in reference to the controversial Winnie Mandela these days.
any of the group of female clan members, including one’s physical mother; a female contemporary of one’s mother.
In the phrase Mother of the Nation (also with small initials),an honorific given to Nomzamo Winnie Mandela because of her leadership in the anti-apartheid struggle, her prominence in the African National Congress, and her marriage to Nelson Mandela, leader of the ANC, at the time this name was coined. Also attributive.
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