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madrepatria

motherland, homeland

noun mah-dreh-PAH-tree-ah Rare

Usage Note

Madrepatria is a compound of madre (mother) and patria (homeland), used in elevated or patriotic registers. It is more emotional than the neutral paese or nazione. The plural madrepatrie is rarely used; the word typically appears in singular contexts.

Examples

"Tornò nella madrepatria dopo vent'anni."

Natural Translation

He returned to his homeland after twenty years.

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