那些由“母亲”演化来的单词

Metropolis 大都市

Nowadays, it refers to a large city — particularly an important one。这个词现在多指大都市，尤其是地位比较重要的城市。

In ancient Greece, metropolis referred to the mother city of a colony. Metropolis comes from the Greek mētēr ("mother") + polis ("city")。在古希腊，metropolis指殖民地的宗主城市。Metropolis一词源于希腊语的mētēr(母亲)和polis(城市)。

Matrix 母体，背景，模型

The term originates in the Latin mater, meaning "mother."这个词源于拉丁语中的mater一词，意为“母亲”。

The original (now-archaic) meaning of matrix was "uterus." Today the word usually refers to a situation or set of conditions in which something develops or forms.Matrix一词最早的意思为“子宫”(如今该用法已弃用)。现在，这个词通常指形势或者事物发展或成形的条件。

Alma Mater 母校

Alma mater refers either to a school one attended, or to that school's song.Alma mater指“母校”或者母校的校歌。

The ancients used alma mater as a title for such goddesses as Ceres, the Roman goddess of the growth of food plants, and Cybele, who was worshipped as the universal mother of gods, humans, and animals。古代的人用alma mater来指代谷神星(古罗马掌管谷物生长的女神)和希比利神(亦称“众神之母”，是宇宙中一切神、人类和动物之母)。

Matrimony 婚姻

Matrimony joins two people, but that pairing is rooted in one word: mother。婚姻让两个人走到一起，不过这种联姻源自于一个词：mother(母亲)。

Matrimony comes from mater, Latin for "mother." This reflects the traditional role of marriage in legalizing motherhood – allowing women to produce legitimate children and heirs.Matrimony也源自于拉丁语中的mater(母亲)一词。这也反应了母系合法化过程中婚姻的传统地位，即婚姻让女人能够繁衍合法的子嗣。

Matter 物质

The fact of the matter is this: the Latin word for "mother," mater, is this word's distant ancestor.Matter一词怎么会出现在这里?事情是这样的，拉丁语中的mater(母亲)一词是matter一词的远祖。

Mater was shaped into materia, meaning "physical substance" or "matter." Materia eventually developed into matter.Mater一词后来演化成materia，即“物质”。而materia一词最终演化成了matter这个词。

Why did mother lead to matter? The connection is uncertain, but perhaps it's because matter is the substance from which something is made; and it is mother from which we all are made。“母亲”和“物质”之间有什么因果关系呢?答案尚不明确。或许因为物质是构成所有事物的成分，也是我们所有人成形之源头吧。