moth-er

See also: mother and Mother

English

Etymology

Coined from moth +‎ -er (agent noun suffix) or +‎ -er (occupational suffix) by analogy to mouser, with the hyphen kept to avoid confusion with mother (“female parent”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɒðə/, /ˈmɒθə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɔðɚ/, /ˈmɔθɚ/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑðɚ/, /ˈmɑθɚ/
• Rhymes: -ɒðə(ɹ), -ɒθə(ɹ)

The th component is voiced /ð/ or voiceless /θ/ predictably depending on whether the pronunciation of mouser has voiced /z/ or voiceless /s/.

Noun

moth-er (plural moth-ers)

1. A person (especially an entomologist) or animal that catches moths.
   • 1997 May, Backpacker, volume 25, number 4, page 30:

     Modern moth-ers use black lights, mercury vapor lamps, and portable generators to saturate the night sky[.]

   • 1997, Joshua M. Epstein, Nonlinear Dynamics, Mathematical Biology, and Social Science:

     Many species of bats are skilled ‘moth-ers’: they pursue them at speed after detecting them[.]

   • 2015, Tessa Wardley, The Countryside Book: 101 Ways To Play, Watch Wildlife, ...:

     Real moth-ers, mothies or lepidopterists, will use a mercury vapour bulb and even a special trap[.]

Alternative forms

• mother

Anagrams

• thermo-