Mother lode

Type

Rock

Area of origin

Mexico

Area of use

International

Related terms

Lode

A principal vein or zone of veins of gold or silver ore. Used metaphorically to refer to the origin of something valuable or in great abundance.

Etymology

The term probably came from a literal translation of the Spanish veta madre, a term common in old Mexican mining. Veta in Spanish means either the grain of wood or a vein, seam or lode. Lode is derived from the Cornish “to lead”.

Example locations

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