mother tongue

American  

[muhth-er tuhng, muhth-er tuhng] / ˈmʌð ər ˈtʌŋ, ˈmʌð ər ˌtʌŋ /

noun

1. the language first learned by a person; native language.

2. mother language.

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mother tongue British  

noun

1. the language first learned by a child

2. a language from which another has evolved

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Etymology

Origin of mother tongue

1350–1400; Middle English moder tonge

Example Sentences

But that authenticity was also palpable in Martin’s performance on Sunday — a vindication for all the years his mother tongue was manipulated in the mainstream.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

He dropped his English name, James, and resolved to write only in the language of the Kikuyu people, his mother tongue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

As the young children enthusiastically sang out phrases, Esau interjected occasionally to correct their pronunciation of the distinct sounds and deep clicks of her mother tongue, of which she is the last first-language speaker.

From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025

Of these, nearly 14% stayed home before starting school, compared to only 6% of children whose mother tongue was French.

From Science Daily • Nov. 28, 2024

He had written it in Sanskrit, which was his mother tongue, and he had encoded the even lines in the private cipher of the Emperor Augustus and the odd ones in a Lacedemonian military code.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• first language