Today’s WOTD is “matriculate.” It comes from the Latin “mater,” for “mother,” and it means “to enroll at a college or university.” Oh, and congrats to our youngest as she returns to the UK soon. Well, after she gets her visa issues straightened out she’ll be returning to the UK soon, that is. And she will matriculate to the University of Birmingham in their graduate program in translation this fall. So, congrats, Kate…
You go, girl!
Merriam Webster tells us the following about this word’s etymology.
It has more to do with being enrolled than being mothered. It is the diminutive form of the Latin “matrix,” and in Late Latin this had the sense of “list” or “register.” But earlier, it referred to female animals kept for the purposes of breeding.
OooooKay then!
How about we stick with “enrolled” and skip the last bit, OK?
Mater, Mother, Matriculate – better luck next time, etymologists!
🙂