Vocab from Jodi Picoult: Allomother

This month, my book club is reading Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult, an intriguing story about a teen, Jenna, who is trying to solve the ten year old mystery of her mother’s disappearance. One night, at the elephant sanctuary owned and operated by Jenna’s parents, a woman was found dead, potentially trampled.  That same night, Jenna’s mom, Alice, was found unconscious.  Alice received treatment at a nearby hospital and then disappeared.  Jenna is convinced she’s still alive and recruits a psychic and a retired detective to find her.

Jenna’s mom is one of the alternating POVs in Leaving Time, and she shares much scientific info about elephants. Her notes are easy to read and relate to, as she is studying how elephants grieve. So far I’ve only come across one new word: allomother.

Although there are records of adoption within herds, the majority of allomothers will not nurse an orphaned calf; there is just not enough milk to go around without compromising their own biological offspring.

wondrous memeIf you like learning about new words, join the Wondrous Words Wednesday meme, where bloggers share new words they’ve come across in their reading.

Allomother \ˈa-lə-ˌmə-thər\ noun from Greek allos other; allo- being one of a group whose members together constitute a structural unit + mother;

  • an individual other than the biological mother of an offspring that performs the functions of a mother (as by caring for an infant temporarily). This phenomenon occurs among animals as well as humans (as when a grandmother takes over the care of a child when the child’s mother cannot do the job).

Interestingly, this word was first used in 1980. I wonder if changes in our society over the past several decades and the concurrent changes in the structure of the “typical” American family have brought about an increased number of “allomothers”.  Or perhaps the phenomenon has existed for centuries, and we’ve just recently given it a name.

Word Nerd Workout

What scientific terms have you come across in your reading lately?

Thanks for getting nerdy with me today!

Julia

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julia Tomiak
I believe in the power of words to improve our lives, and I help people find interesting words to read. Member of SCBWI.

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