Word of the Week: Alma Mater

Alma Mater (Noun)

Pronounced:

al-mə-ˈmä-tər

Definitions:

1: A school, college, or university which one has attended or from which one has graduated
2: The song or hymn of a school, college, or university

Example sentence:

As the convocation drew to a close, the entire congregation stood to sing Olivet’s alma mater, which was written by the Class of 1939’s Byron Carmony.

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Okay, so this word may not be completely unknown to the majority of our readers, but we couldn’t think of a more perfect word for this week.

For one thing, no Olivet graduation ceremony would be complete without the singing of Byron Carmony’s “Alma Mater, Olivet.” And in the last hours of their ONU experience, graduates are sure to spend plenty of time this week reflecting on warm memories from their alma mater.

Interestingly enough, the very origin of this word makes it a good fit for this first week in May. “Alma mater” means “fostering mother” in Latin — just in time for Mother’s Day.

Like a nurturing mother, we’re proud of our graduates and wish them all the best in this next chapter of their lives.

And to the all mothers of the Class of 2010: thanks for loaning us your babies for the last few years. They’ve sure done you proud!

Definition and pronunciation taken from Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary.