mother country
Ancestral national origin
Mother country is the nation from which colonists or emigrants originated—the homeland that founded or controlled colonial territories.
Britain was the mother country of the American colonies.
The term implies a parent-child relationship between imperial power and settlement: Colonists remained loyal to the mother country even as they built new lives abroad.
It can also simply mean one's native land.
One's native country
- native landCountry of origin
- birthplaceLocation of one's birth
- ancestral landInherited family territory
- cradleRocking bed for infants
nationhood · sovereignty · diaspora · expatriate · repatriation · emigration · immigration · nostalgia
Family line of descent
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- cultureCollective social practices
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
folklore · legacy · ethnicity · roots · genealogy · forebears · heirlooms · birthright
Domain under unified control
- colonialismDomination through foreign settlement
- imperialismExtending dominion over others
- colonyDependent territorial settlement
- settlersThose who establish homes
territory · dominion · protectorate · annexation · subjugation · governor · viceroy · administration
Cloth symbol or signal
- anthemOfficial song of praise
- nationalismDevotion to one's country
- allegianceLoyalty owed to authority
- loyaltyFaithful commitment to another
patriot · devotion · pride · unity · solidarity · service · sacrifice · duty
fatherland
One's native country
- native landCountry of origin
- birthplaceLocation of one's birth
- ancestral landInherited family territory
cradle · nationhood · sovereignty · diaspora · expatriate · repatriation · emigration · immigration · nostalgia · longing
ancestry
Family line of descent
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- cultureCollective social practices
- lineageDescent from progenitors
customs · folklore · legacy · ethnicity · roots · genealogy · forebears · heirlooms · birthright · artifacts
empire
Domain under unified control
- colonialismDomination through foreign settlement
- imperialismExtending dominion over others
- colonyDependent territorial settlement
settlers · territory · dominion · protectorate · annexation · subjugation · governor · viceroy · administration · outpost
flag
Cloth symbol or signal
- anthemOfficial song of praise
- nationalismDevotion to one's country
- allegianceLoyalty owed to authority
loyalty · patriot · devotion · pride · unity · solidarity · service · sacrifice · duty · civic
- homelandfatherland, homeland, home country, native land, birthplace
- colonialismcolony, colonization, colonial rule, colonial powers, colonizer
- ancestryancestors, kinship, ancestor, clan, ancestry
mother countrycolony
Dependent territorial settlement
dependency · protectorate · overseas territory · dominion · territory
mother countryadopted nation
Country of chosen citizenship
new country · host country · land of opportunity · promised land · new world
mother, maternal, matriarch, maternity, matron, matronly, motherland, matriarchy, matriarchal