mother lode

Thân thiện

A miner points excitedly at the mother lode in the rock wall.

Definition

Noun: 1. The principal vein or zone of a valuable mineral in a region: The primary and richest source of ore in a mining district. 2. (Figurative) A rich or abundant source of something valuable: A discovery of a large supply of a desired thing.

Usage

The term is used literally in geology and mining to describe the main deposit. Figuratively, it is commonly used to express the discovery of a large, valuable, or principal source of anything desirable.

Examples

• Literal (Mining):
  • Prospectors spent years searching for the mother lode of gold in those hills.
  • The discovery of the mother lode transformed the small camp into a booming town.
• Figurative:
  • The researcher's new book is a mother lode of information on medieval history.
  • Cleaning out the attic, we found a mother lode of vintage comic books.

Advanced Usage

• "To hit/strike the mother lode": This idiom means to find the main source of wealth or success, either literally or figuratively.
  • With that innovative software, the startup really struck the mother lode.

Variants and Related Words

• Lode (noun): A vein of metal ore in the earth.
• Bonanza (noun): A situation which creates a sudden increase in wealth, or a large vein of ore. Often used synonymously with "mother lode" in its figurative sense.

Synonyms

• Main vein
• Principal deposit
• (Figurative) Treasure trove, goldmine, bonanza

Antonyms

• Trace
• Scattering
• (Figurative) Dearth, scarcity

Related Idioms

• Hit/strike the mother lode: To find the primary source of something very valuable.
  • The archaeologist knew she had hit the mother lode when she uncovered the ancient temple.

Học thuật

Noun

1. the main vein of ore in a deposit

Từ đồng nghĩa

• champion lode