mother's milk
Definition
Noun: - Milk secreted by a woman who has recently given birth: The natural milk produced by a mother's breasts to nourish her infant.
Usage
This term is used specifically to refer to human breast milk produced postpartum. It is often discussed in contexts of infant nutrition, health, and breastfeeding practices.
Examples
- Noun:
- The doctor emphasized that mother's milk provides the ideal nutrition for a newborn.
- She donated her excess mother's milk to the hospital's milk bank for premature babies.
Advanced Usage
- Figurative Use: The phrase can be used metaphorically to refer to something that is a fundamental, natural, or essential source of nourishment or sustenance.
- For a musician, daily practice is mother's milk. (Meaning: Daily practice is an essential, fundamental nourishment for skill.)
Variants and Related Words
- Breast milk (n): A more common, direct synonym for mother's milk.
- Human milk (n): A formal term used in scientific and medical contexts.
Synonyms
- Breast milk: Milk produced from the mammary glands.
- Human milk: Milk from a human source.
Related Phrases
- "To be (one's) mother's milk": An idiomatic expression meaning something is absolutely essential or deeply natural to a person.
- Political debate was his mother's milk; he grew up in a family of activists.
Noun
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milk secreted by a woman who has recently given birth
