AMO, AMAS, AMAT & More, Eugene Ehrlich, pp. 39, HarperCollins, 1993, ISBN 978-0-06-272017-7, ... nourishing mother ... applied by Romans to Ceres, goddess of growing vegetation; to Cybele, a nature goddess ... Roman poets referred to the country of their birth as alma mater. Today, the expression is used to refer to one's college or university, and more narrowly, to the official song, statue, or other symbol of the institution ...
