ALMA MATER

'Alma mater' is Latin for "nourishing mother". It was used in ancient Rome as a title for the mother goddess, and in Medieval Christianity for the Virgin Mary.
This term is taken from the motto ("Alma Mater Studiorum") of the oldest European continually operating degree-granting university, the University of Bologna, in Italy, founded in A.D. 1088, and located in the city of Bologna.
In many modern languages it is usually and principally heard as a term of academia; thus, in the English language, it is often used in place of the name of the university or college a person has attended. In American English, it is also heard in reference to a high school or elementary school.
Alma mater is sometimes the ''incipit'' of a school's anthem or song, and may be taken as a title for the genre. The term is more familiar in the United States than in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term often refers to the entire school song as opposed to simply the opening.

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★ Definition of ''alma mater'' at Merriam-Webster Online