Lexical Definition

‎μήτηρ‎ mḗtēr (may'-tare) mother ^G:N-F
apparently a primary word

mother.

• a "mother" (literally or figuratively, immediate or remote)

Abbott-Smith

μήτηρ, gen., μητρός, ἡ, [in LXX chiefly for אֵם;]
mother: Mt 1:18 2:11, al.; fig., of one who takes the place of a mother, ἰδοὺ, ἡ μ. μου, Mt 12:49 (cf. Mt 12:50, Mk 3:35, Jo 19:27, Ro 16:13, I Ti 5:2); of a city, ἥτις ἐσὶν μ. ἡμῶν, Ga 4:26; symbolically of Babylon, ἡ μ. τ. πορνῶν, Re 17:5.

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

μήτηρ,

Doric dialect μάτηρ, ἡ: though paroxytone in nominative, it follows πατήρ in the accent of the indirect cases, genitive μητερος contraction μητρός, dative μητέρι, μητρί, both forms being found in [Refs 8th c.BC+], but the longer forms rarely in Trag. exc. Lyric poetry, as ματέρος [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μητέρος in iambics, [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—mother, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; of animals, dam,[Refs 8th c.BC+]; of a mother-bird, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; of queen bees, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἀπὸ ματρὸς φίλας, ἐκ ματρός, from one's mother's womb, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: in plural, mother and grandmother, [Refs 1st c.AD+]; as an address to elderly women, ὦ μῆτερ [Refs 3rd c.BC+], = Mater Patriae, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; μ. τῶν ἀηττήτων στρατοπέδων, = Mater invictorum castrorum, of Julia Domna, [Refs 3rd c.AD+]

__2 of lands, μ. μήλων, θηρῶν, mother of flocks, of game, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; frequently of Earth, γῆ πάντων μ. [μήτηρ 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Septem contra Thebas” 16, etc.; ὦ γαῖα μῆτερ 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Hippolytus” 601 ">Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἡ Μήτηρ, ={Δημήτηρ}, τῇ Μητρὶ καὶ τῇ Κούρῃ ὁρτὴν ἄγουσι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also of Rhea, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; as title of Isis, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
__3 frequently of one's native land, μᾶτερ ἐμά, Θήβα [Refs 5th c.BC+]; and so, like{μητρόπολις}, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II poetry, the origin or source of events, μ. ἀέθλων, of Olympia, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of night, as the mother of day, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; the grape of wine, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Aphrodite of the Loves, [Refs]; φάτις ὦ μᾶτερ αἰσχύνας ἐμᾶς, of a rumour, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: also in Prose, γεωργίαν τῶν ἄλλων τεχνῶν μητέρα [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πολιτειῶν μητέρες δύο (i.e. μοναρχία and δημοκρατία) [Refs 5th c.BC+]. (Cf. Latin mater, O[Refs 5th c.BC+] módor, etc.)