Revised 2002 More entries for "motherless"
motherlessadjective1, noun, & adverb
Factsheet
What does the word motherless mean?
There are five meanings listed in OED's entry for the word motherless. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the word motherless?
About 0.3occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 0.042 |
| 1760 | 0.044 |
| 1770 | 0.047 |
| 1780 | 0.05 |
| 1790 | 0.057 |
| 1800 | 0.093 |
| 1810 | 0.13 |
| 1820 | 0.18 |
| 1830 | 0.27 |
| 1840 | 0.37 |
| 1850 | 0.45 |
| 1860 | 0.51 |
| 1870 | 0.56 |
| 1880 | 0.56 |
| 1890 | 0.54 |
| 1900 | 0.5 |
| 1910 | 0.45 |
| 1920 | 0.39 |
| 1930 | 0.34 |
| 1940 | 0.29 |
| 1950 | 0.27 |
| 1960 | 0.25 |
| 1970 | 0.25 |
| 1980 | 0.25 |
| 1990 | 0.26 |
| 2000 | 0.25 |
| 2010 | 0.26 |
How is the word motherless pronounced?
British English
/ˈmʌðələs/
MUDH-uh-luhss
U.S. English
/ˈməðərləs/
MU-dhuhr-luhss
Australian English
/ˈmʌðələs/
South African English
/ˈmʌðələs/
Where does the word motherless come from?
Earliest known use
Old English
The earliest known use of the word motherless is in the Old English period (pre-1150).
motherless is formed within English, by derivation.
Etymons: mother n.1, ‑less suffix.
Nearby entries
- mother-in-law's tongue, n.1958–
- motherish, adj.1851–
- motherkin, n.?1577–
- mother kingdom, n.1690–
- motherkins, n.1870–
- mother kirk, n.c1430–
- motherland, n.1565–
- Motherland Party, n.1983–
- mother language, n.a1425–
- mother-law, n.1526–
- motherless, adj.¹, n., & adv.Old English–
- motherless, adj.²1607
- motherlessness, n.1869–
- motherlike, adj. & adv.1530–
- motherliness, n.a1637–
- motherling, n.1836–
- mother liquid, n.1830–
- mother liquor, n.?1698–
- mother-lode, n.1863–
- mother-love, n.Old English–
- mother-loving, adj.1827–
Etymology
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Meaning & use
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Pronunciation
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Forms
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Frequency
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Compounds & derived words
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Entry history for motherless, adj.¹, n., & adv.
motherless, adj.¹, n., & adv. was revised in December 2002.
motherless, adj.¹, n., & adv. was last modified in July 2023.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into motherless, adj.¹, n., & adv. in July 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1908)
OED Second Edition (1989)
Cite
Chicago
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
Copied to clipboard
MLA9
“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .
Copied to clipboard
Contribute
Citation details
Factsheet for motherless, adj.¹, n., & adv.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- mother-in-law's tongue, n.1958–
- motherish, adj.1851–
- motherkin, n.?1577–
- mother kingdom, n.1690–
- motherkins, n.1870–
- mother kirk, n.c1430–
- motherland, n.1565–
- Motherland Party, n.1983–
- mother language, n.a1425–
- mother-law, n.1526–
- motherless, adj.¹, n., & adv.Old English–
- motherless, adj.²1607
- motherlessness, n.1869–
- motherlike, adj. & adv.1530–
- motherliness, n.a1637–
- motherling, n.1836–
- mother liquid, n.1830–
- mother liquor, n.?1698–
- mother-lode, n.1863–
- mother-love, n.Old English–
- mother-loving, adj.1827–
