Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mother lode

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.71 in modern English

Syllables
moth-er lode
IPA
16
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A large or rich vein of gold or of another precious mineral from which other branches extend.

noun

Any source of valuable or useful material.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Probably a calque of Spanish veta madre (“mother lode”).

Inflected Forms

mother lodes (plural) mother-lode (alternative) motherlode (alternative)

Synonyms

champion lode

Questions

What does mother lode mean?
A large or rich vein of gold or of another precious mineral from which other branches extend.
Where does mother lode come from?
Probably a calque of Spanish veta madre (“mother lode”).

How to pronounce mother lode

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mother lode”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “mother lode”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “mother lode” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.