matriculate
verb
Did you know?
Anybody who has had basic Latin knows that alma mater, a fancy term for the school you attended, comes from a phrase that means "fostering mother." If mater is mother, then matriculate probably has something to do with a school nurturing you just like good old mom, right? Not exactly. If you go back far enough, matriculate is distantly related to the Latin mater, but its maternal associations were lost long ago—even in terms of Latin history. It is more closely related to Late Latin matricula, which means "public roll or register." Matricula has more to do with being enrolled than being mothered, but it is the diminutive form of the Latin matrix, which in Late Latin was used in the sense of "list" or "register" and earlier referred to female animals kept for the purposes of breeding.
Examples of matriculate in a Sentence
Jasmine Browley, Essence, 19 June 2024
Seinfeld, whose son currently attends Duke and whose daughter matriculated there, was delivering the commencement address as well as picking up an honorary degree.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 May 2024
Each year, up to 200 future leaders from around the globe matriculate as Schwarzman Scholars at Tsinghua University in Beijing to pursue a one-year Master's Degree in Global Affairs.
—Foreign Affairs, 15 Sep. 2023
An alumnus of Carol City High, Gibbs matriculated through Florida A&M University where, like every Historically Black College or University, the centering of Black excellence is ubiquitous.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for matriculate 
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Cite this Entry
“Matriculate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/matriculate. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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matriculate
verb
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