TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

ALMA MATER [1 record]

Record 1 2014-06-17

English

Subject field(s)
  • Phraseology
OBS

Literally, "nurturing mother." Today used for one's college or university.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Phraséologie
OBS

Mère nourricière. L'Université.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Fraseología
OBS

La alma mater —en femenino, sin tilde y en cursiva—, no el alma mater, es la forma adecuada de escribir esta locución latina.

OBS

Cabe [...] señalar que, aunque el Diccionario panhispánico de dudas circunscribe el significado de esta locución a su sentido etimológico de "madre nutricia" —metáfora de la universidad— y desaconseja explícitamente emplear alma mater para referirse a la persona que da vida o impulso a algo, acepción más habitual en periodismo, este sentido sí se recoge en los principales diccionarios de uso.

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