den mother

noun

An adult (female) leader of a Cub Scout den.

“As the head of the boarding school, he serves as den mother for all the new students.”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounden mother (plural den mothers)

plural den mothers

  1. An adult (female) leader of a Cub Scout den.
  2. broadlyfigurativelyA person who plays the role of leader or protector of a group.

    As the head of the boarding school, he serves as den mother for all the new students.

Origin

From den (“an individual chapter”) + mother, after Boy Scouts of America Cub Scouting. Attested since 1936.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

den mother. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/den%20mother

MLA

“den mother.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/den%20mother. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “den mother,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/den%20mother.

Source: den mother on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.