Motherful

adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Befitting a mother; motherly.

    "But Sœur Rosalie remained their mother still ; and when they returned, as many of them did — floated home by some strong current of grace — those motherful arms and that great motherful heart were open to them with a welcome made more tender by the extremity of their need."

  2. 2
    In the state of motherhood; pregnant.

    "The ship's quartermaster said nothing but just laid low, while the young, motherful bride moved about the deck in an exquisite confection of old-gold and rose, followed by a train of admirers."

  3. 3
    Having a mother.

    "I am motherful and sisterful; you are brotherless."

Example

More examples

"But Sœur Rosalie remained their mother still ; and when they returned, as many of them did — floated home by some strong current of grace — those motherful arms and that great motherful heart were open to them with a welcome made more tender by the extremity of their need."

Etymology

From Middle English moderfull, equivalent to mother + -ful. Cognate with Scots moderfull (“pregnant”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.