I hope this explanation will help you.

Sheila



http://www.chick.com/reading/books/158/158_50.asp

The term "Alma Mater" results from the combination of the Hebrew word for "virgin" (almah) and the Greek word for "mother" (meter). Thus when you speak of your "Alma Mater" you refer to your "Virgin Mother," a terminology which we fairly say can only be used by Jesus Christ. Thus, although we may have to use the more lengthy description "the college I attended" or just "my college," we show much more respect for Jesus Christ than to go around claiming that we have a "Virgin Mother" also.

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Note added at 2002-04-24 20:49:09 (GMT)
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http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/g/goddess_2_the_v...

In the Hebrew Gospels the name Mary is designated by almah which means \"young woman.\" The reason that Mary is held to have remained a virgin by Catholics and some Christians is because Matthew in his gospel used the Greek word parthenos, meaning \"virgin,\" instead of almah when referring to the virgin birth of Jesus. Also almah was derived from Persian Al-Mah, the unmated Moon goddess. Another cognate of this term was the Latin alma, \"living soul of the world,\" which is essentially identical to the Greek psyche, and the Sanskrit shakti. So the ancient Holy Virgins, or temple-harlots, were \"soul-teachers\" or \"soul- mothers.\" Thus comes the term alma mater. A.G.H.


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Note added at 2002-04-24 20:54:53 (GMT)
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This might help clear up the apparent confusion over whether this should be nourishing or virign mother. HTH Sheila



http://www.cin.org/archives/montfort/199805/0135.html
The term \"Alma\" can have several meanings. The one we know the best is the
application of the term to the school from which we graduated. In this
case, \"alma\" comes from the latin root which means \"to nourish.\" Our
college is our \"nourishing mother,\" or \"nursing mother,\" our alma mater.
But following Saint Jerome, Father de Montfort uses this term according to
its Hebrew root, which means to hide, to be hidden. It is from this verb
that we have the noun \"almah\" (cf Is 7:14) meaning \"virgin\" or \"young girl
of marrigeable age.\" Mary is then the \"hidden\" Mother, the \"virgin
Mother.\"

alma f. = nurturing, nourishing
mater f. = mother