mismothering

noun

mismothering

noun

Etymology From mis- + mothering.

1

Failure of an animal to take maternal care of its young, and/or stealing another's offspring to mother it.

  • Mismothering may occur among sheep when a lamb has been separated from the flock and returned.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.