All Topics  
Alma mater

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Alma mater
 
 
  Topics Alma mater Topic Home

Alma mater is Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 for "nourishing mother". (Pron. 'ælm? 'me?t?(r) in British English
British English

British English or UK English is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere....
; usu. '?lm? 'ma???r in American English
American English

PhonologyIn many ways, compared to English language in England, North American English is conservative in its phonology. Some distinctive accents can be found on the East Coast of the United States , partly because these areas were in contact with England, and imitated prestigious varieties of English English at a time when those varieties we...
.) It was used in ancient Rome
Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
 as a title for the mother goddess
Mother goddess

A mother goddess is a term used to refer to any goddess associated with motherhood, fertility, creation or the bountiful embodiment of the Earth....
, and in Mediæval
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
 Christianity
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
 for the Virgin Mary. In modern times it is used to refer to the university or college a person attended. It also can refer to a song about a college or university similar to a fight song
Fight song

A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fan to cheer for their team....
.

term is derived from the motto
Motto

A motto is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used....
 Alma Mater Studiorum (meaning "Nourishing Mother of Studies") of the oldest continuously-operating degree-granting Western
Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
 university: the University of Bologna
University of Bologna

The University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating degree-granting university in the world:, the word 'university' being first used by this institution at its foundation....
, in Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
, founded A.D.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Alma mater'
Start a new discussion about 'Alma mater'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Alma mater is Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 for "nourishing mother". (Pron. 'ælm? 'me?t?(r) in British English
British English

British English or UK English is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere....
; usu. '?lm? 'ma???r in American English
American English

PhonologyIn many ways, compared to English language in England, North American English is conservative in its phonology. Some distinctive accents can be found on the East Coast of the United States , partly because these areas were in contact with England, and imitated prestigious varieties of English English at a time when those varieties we...
.) It was used in ancient Rome
Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
 as a title for the mother goddess
Mother goddess

A mother goddess is a term used to refer to any goddess associated with motherhood, fertility, creation or the bountiful embodiment of the Earth....
, and in Mediæval
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
 Christianity
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
 for the Virgin Mary. In modern times it is used to refer to the university or college a person attended. It also can refer to a song about a college or university similar to a fight song
Fight song

A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fan to cheer for their team....
.

History

This term is derived from the motto
Motto

A motto is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used....
 Alma Mater Studiorum (meaning "Nourishing Mother of Studies") of the oldest continuously-operating degree-granting Western
Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
 university: the University of Bologna
University of Bologna

The University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating degree-granting university in the world:, the word 'university' being first used by this institution at its foundation....
, in Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
, founded A.D. 1088, which is located in the city of Bologna
Bologna

Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, in the Po Valley , between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, exactly between the Reno River and the S?vena River....
.

Uses in academe


As a reference to an academic institution

In many modern languages it is usually and principally heard as a term of academia
Academia

Academia, Academe, or the Academy are collective terms for the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research....
; thus, in the English language
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
, it is often used in place of the name of the university
University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education....
 or college
College

File:Government college for Women Dhoke Kala Khan.JPGCollege is a term most often used today to denote an education institution. More broadly, it can be the name of any group of collegialitys, for example, an electoral college, a College of Arms or the College of Cardinals....
 from where a person has attended or graduated. The bronze statue on the steps of Low Library on the campus of Columbia University
Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York , is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City....
 is of an anthropomorphic Alma Mater, and named so. In American English
American English

PhonologyIn many ways, compared to English language in England, North American English is conservative in its phonology. Some distinctive accents can be found on the East Coast of the United States , partly because these areas were in contact with England, and imitated prestigious varieties of English English at a time when those varieties we...
, it may also be used in reference to the high school
High school

High school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides all or part of secondary education. The term originated in Scotland and spread to the New World countries as the high prestige that the Scottish educational system had at the time led several countries to employ Scottish educators to develop the...
 that an individual has attended.

As a song

In addition to this, alma mater may be the incipit
Incipit

The incipit of a text, such as a poem, song, or book, is its first few words or opening line. In music it can also refer to the opening notes of a composition....
, or the first line, of a school's anthem or song, and may be taken as a title for the genre. The term, in this usage, derives from the opening line of what is generally considered the final verse of the academic commercium song
Commercium song

Commercium songs are traditional academic songs that are sung during academic feasts: commerciums and tableround s.Some very old commercium songs are in Latin, like Meum est propositum or Gaudeamus igitur....
 Gaudeamus igitur. As such, Gaudeamus igitur may be considered the original alma mater. The song is at least as old as the 18th century, and legend has it the song's origins lie with 13th century intennerant German students, though solid evidence is lacking.

The term is more familiar in the United States than in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term often refers to the entire school song as opposed to simply the opening.

See also

  • Alumnus
    Alumnus

    An alumnus according to the American Heritage Dictionary is "a male graduate or former student of a school, college, or university." In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college, or university." If a group includes more than one gender, even if there is only one male, the plural form alumni i...


External links

  • at Merriam-Webster
    Merriam-Webster

    Merriam?Webster, which was originally the G. & C. Merriam Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is an United States company that publishes reference books, especially dictionary that are descendants of Noah Webster An American Dictionary of the English Language ....
     Online
  • "Well I Remember!", from the University of Northern Colorado
    University of Northern Colorado

    The University of Northern Colorado, often called UNC or Northern Colorado is a coeducational public institution of higher education and research located in Greeley, Colorado, United States....
  • , the alma mater of the University of Kansas
    University of Kansas

    The University of Kansas is a public research university with campuses located in Lawrence, Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas, and Overland Park, Kansas, Kansas with the main campus being located atop Mount Oread in Lawrence....
  • (sometimes known as Hail Saint Mary's), the alma mater of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
    Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

    Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a Private school, comprehensive, coeducational university with an undergraduate campus in the city of Winona, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States....