LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

alma māter

alma māter f (genitive almae mātris)
Classical[ˈaɫ.ma ˈmaː.tɛr]Ecclesiastical[ˈal.ma ˈmaː.ter]

Meaning

  1. Ancient Romemother goddess
  2. MedievalVirgin Mary
  3. Medieval Latinuniversity

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativealma māteralmae mātrēs
genitivealmae mātrisalmārum mātrum
dativealmae mātrīalmīs mātribus
accusativealmam mātremalmās mātrēs
ablativealmā mātrealmīs mātribus
vocativealma māteralmae mātrēs

Origins

From alma (“nourishing”) + māter (“mother”).

Quick answers

What does alma māter mean in Latin?
alma māter, a noun, means “mother goddess; Virgin Mary; university”.
What is the genitive of alma māter?
The genitive singular is almae mātris. alma māter is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce alma māter?
In classical Latin, [ˈaɫ.ma ˈmaː.tɛr]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈal.ma ˈmaː.ter].