al·ma ma·ter or Al·ma Ma·ter (?l?m? mä?t?r, äl?m?)n.1. The school, college, or university that one has attended.2. The anthem of an institution of higher learning.[From Latin Alma M?ter, nourishing mother (epithet of certain goddesses) : alma, feminine of almus, nourishing; see al- in Indo-European roots + m?ter, mother; see maternal.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.alma mater (?ælm? ?m??t?; ?me?t?) n (often capitals) one’s school, college, or university[C17: from Latin: bountiful mother]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014al?ma ma?ter (??l m? ?m? t?r, ?æl-; ?æl m? ?me? t?r) n. a school, college, or university at which one has studied and, usu., from which one has graduated. [