`mother` in Spanish

mother

1. noun
   • female parent of a child
     
     madre

     My mother is a teacher. — Mi madre es profesora.
   • [figurative, literary], origin or source of something
     
     madre [figurative, literary]

     Necessity is the mother of invention. — La necesidad es la madre de la invención.
   • [slang, vulgar, offensive], offensive term, short for insult
     
     hija de puta [slang, vulgar, offensive]

     You son of a mother! — ¡Hijo de puta!
   • [technical, culinary], starter culture in fermentation
     
     madre [technical, culinary]

     The vinegar contains the mother. — El vinagre contiene la madre.
2. verb
   • to care for like a mother
     
     maternar

     She mothered the orphaned children. — Ella maternó a los niños huérfanos.

     cuidar como una madre

     She mothered the orphaned children. — Ella cuidó a los niños huérfanos como una madre.