مادر

مادر traces to Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr ("mother"), one of the most universal kinship terms in the language family. The same root powers Sanskrit "mātṛ", Greek "mētēr", Latin "māter" (giving English "maternal," "matrix," "matter"), German "Mutter," and English "mother." Iran has a particularly strong cultural reverence for mothers. مهر مادری (mehr-e mādarī, "mother's love") is a fixed phrase referring to maternal affection as a force greater than any other. روز مادر (Mother's Day) is celebrated nationally on the birthday of Fatimah, Imam Ali's wife, and is one of Iran's largest holidays. The word مادر also appears in poetic phrases like سرزمین مادری (sarzamīn-e mādarī, "motherland"), where it carries the same patriotic weight as in English. To say "Iranian society honors its mothers" is genuine, not idealization. The cultural infrastructure around the word is real.