Alma Mater

Alma Mater (Lat., 'nourishing mother') is a name given to a university in relation to those who have derived instruction from it. The word alma ('nourishing,' 'kindly') was applied by the Latin authors to such of the deities as were friendly to men—Ceres, Venus, &c.—and also to the earth, the light, the day, wine, and the soil.