also: ははとじ · あもとじ
noun
Archaic honorific term for one's own or someone else's mother. Not used in modern Japanese; encountered only in classical texts or historical contexts.
古い文献では「母刀自」と記して母親を敬っている。
In old documents, '母刀自' is written to respectfully refer to a mother.
Alternate reading using the standard kun'yomi for 母.
Archaic variant reading.
Compound of 母 (mother) and 刀自 (old respectful suffix for women, originally meaning 'mistress of the house'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is clearly archaic and honorific.