Mother wit

Mother wit
Mother Moth"er, a. Received by birth or from ancestors; native, natural; as, mother language; also acting the part, or having the place of a mother; producing others; originating. [1913 Webster]

It is the mother falsehood from which all idolatry is derived. --T. Arnold. [1913 Webster]

{Mother cell} (Biol.), a cell which, by endogenous divisions, gives rise to other cells (daughter cells); a parent cell.

{Mother church}, the original church; a church from which other churches have sprung; as, the mother church of a diocese.

{Mother country}, the country of one's parents or ancestors; the country from which the people of a colony derive their origin.

{Mother liquor} (Chem.), the impure or complex residual solution which remains after the salts readily or regularly crystallizing have been removed.

{Mother queen}, the mother of a reigning sovereign; a queen mother.

{Mother tongue}. (a) A language from which another language has had its origin. (b) The language of one's native land; native tongue.

{Mother water}. See {Mother liquor} (above).

{Mother wit}, natural or native wit or intelligence. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • mother wit — Native intelligence; common sense …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • mother wit — n. native intelligence; common sense …   English World dictionary

  • mother wit — moth′er wit′ n. natural or practical intelligence, wit, or sense …   From formal English to slang

  • mother wit — noun Date: 15th century natural wit or intelligence …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • mother wit — natural or practical intelligence, wit, or sense. [1400 50; late ME moderis wytte] * * * …   Universalium

  • mother wit — noun Inborn intelligence; innate good sense. Katharina: Where did you study all this goodly speech? Syn: common sense, native wit …   Wiktionary

  • mother-wit — n. Native wit, common sense …   New dictionary of synonyms

  • mother wit — /mʌðə ˈwɪt/ (say mudhuh wit) noun → common sense …  

  • mother wit — (Roget s IV) n. Syn. common sense, perception, reason; see wisdom 2 …   English dictionary for students

  • mother wit — n. common sense, horse sense, plain good sense …   English contemporary dictionary

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