μήτηρ, Dor. μάτηρ, ἡ: though parox. in nom., it follows πατήρ in the accent of the obliq. cases, gen. μητεροσ contr. μητρόσ, dat. μητέρι, μητρί, both forms being found in Hom., but the longer forms rarely in Trag. exc. lyr., as ματέροσA.Supp.539; ματέριS.OC1481; μητέροσ in iambics, E.HF843, Or.580, Rh.393: acc. always μητέρα, μητέρασ: voc. μῆτερ:—
mother
, Il.1.351, etc.; of animals,
dam
, 17.4, Od.10.414; of a
mother-bird
, Il.2.313; of
queen
bees, Arist.HA553a29, etc.; ἀπὸ ματρὸς φίλας, ἐκ ματρόσ, from one's
mother's womb
, Pi.P.5.114, A.Ch. 422 (lyr.): in pl.,
mother and grandmother
, Plu.Agis9; as an address to elderly women, ὦ μῆτερD.S.17.37, cf. Theoc.15.60, etc.: in titles, μ. πατρίδοσ, =
Mater Patriae
, D.C.58.2; μ. τῶν ἀηττήτων στρατοπέδων, =
Mater invictorum castrorum
, of Julia Domna, BGU362 xi 16 (iii A.D.). 2. of lands, μ. μήλων, θηρῶν,
mother
of flocks, of game, Il. 2.696,8.47, etc.; freq. of Earth, γῆ πάντων μ.Hes.Op.563; πὰρ μέσον ὀμφαλὸν εὐδένδροιο ..ματέροσPi.P.4.74; γῆ μήτηρA.Th.16, etc.; ὦ γαῖα μῆτερE.Hipp.601; ἡ Μήτηρ, = Δημήτηρ, τῇ Μητρὶ καὶ τῇ Κούρῃ ὁρτὴν ἄγουσιHdt.8.65; also of Rhea, Pi.P.3.78; ὦ Πὰν .., Ματρὸς μεγάλας ὀπαδέId.Fr.95, cf. E.Hel.1355 (lyr.); μ. ὀρείαAr.Av.746 (lyr.); Γαλλαὶ μητρὸς ὀρείης φιλόθυρσοι δρομάδεσLyr.Adesp.121; M. θεῶνSIG1044.8 (Halic., iv B.C.); as title of Isis, PPetr.3p.2 (cf. p.xi) (iii B.C.). 3. freq. of one's native land, μᾶτερ ἐμά, ΘήβαPi.I.1.1, cf. P.8.98, A.Th.416, Isoc.4.25; and so, like μητρόπολισ, Pi.O.9.20, cf. 6.100; ἡ Σκῦρος ἀνδρῶν ἀλκίμων μ.S.Ph.326. II. poet., the
origin
or
source
of events, μ. ἀέθλων, of Olympia, Pi.O.8.1; πειθαρχία γὰρ τῆς εὐπραξίας μ.A.Th.225; ἡ γνώμη κακῶν μ.S.Ph.1361; of night, as
the mother
of day, A.Ag.265; the grape of wine, Id.Pers.614, cf. E.Alc.757; ματέρ' οἰνάνθας ὀπώρανPi.N.5.6; Aphrodite of the Loves, Id.Fr.122.4; φάτις ὦ μᾶτερ αἰσχύνας ἐμᾶσ, of a rumour, S.Aj.174 (lyr.): also in Prose, γεωργίαν τῶν ἄλλων τεχνῶν μητέραX.Oec.5.17; πολιτειῶν μητέρες δύο (sc. μοναρχία and δημοκρατία) Pl.Lg.693d. (Cf. Lat.