1 motherland | Definition of motherland

motherland

noun
moth·​er·​land | \ ˈmÉ™-tÍŸhÉ™r-ËŒland How to pronounce motherland (audio) \

Definition of motherland

2 : a country regarded as a place of origin (as of an idea or a movement)

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Examples of motherland in a Sentence

for many oenophiles, France remains the motherland of fine wines all his life he longed to return to his motherland

Recent Examples on the Web

In Senegal, which is widely considered to be the motherland of Jollof rice, nationals enjoys Thieboudienne, a broken-rice meal believed to be a precursor to the dish. Haleluya Hadero, Quartz Africa, "How Jollof rice became West Africa’s iconic dish and a point of banter between Africans," 23 Aug. 2019 Thankfully, a sea change during the last 10 years, led by premium brands such as Red Boat, has brought more nuoc mam from the motherland to our shores. Andrea Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, "From the motherland to the U.S., a Vietnamese fish sauce with umami oomph," 21 Aug. 2019 The dictator had encouraged Iraqis to regard the little emirate much as mainland Chinese view Taiwan: a rogue province that must one day return to the motherland. Bobby Ghosh, The Denver Post, "Guest Commentary: Iraq and Kuwait are beginning a beautiful friendship," 18 Aug. 2019 This is done in the name of protection of the motherland, which the newly marginalized are said to hate. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, "The Weaponization of National Belonging, from Nazi Germany to Trump," 21 July 2019 The rivalry between the motherland and its former colony in five-day matches has produced many of the sport’s most memorable individual performances. M.j., The Economist, "The Ashes will feature the weakest pair of cricket teams in decades," 31 July 2019 The motherland, which is home to 54 countries and over 1.2 billion people has always been a place of great resources and powerful minds. Kynala Phillips, Essence, "Africa’s Tech Industry Is Booming And It's Time The World Takes Note," 23 July 2019 The most perspicacious of the English understood that as soon as Americans started to get beyond the Appalachian mountains, we would be cut off from the motherland. Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, "You’re Free on Independence Day," 4 July 2019 Each is designed to highlight the ingredients, some imported from the motherland, and others produced locally. Destination Canada, Bon Appétit, "8 Not-to-Be-Missed Restaurants in Edmonton," 14 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'motherland.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of motherland

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for motherland

motherland

noun

English Language Learners Definition of motherland

: the country where you were born or where your family came from

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More from Merriam-Webster on motherland

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with motherland

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for motherland

Spanish Central: Translation of motherland

Nglish: Translation of motherland for Spanish Speakers