(rfv-sens)puhekieltä Without care, wisdom, or admonition; reckless. e.g.: a motherless ambition; a motherless endeavour.
Without mother (gloss).
1997, Good Housekeeping, volume 225, page 132:
Once the bottle is opened, the starter may develop again if the vinegar is in your cupboard for awhile. If its appearance bothers you, strain the vinegar through several layers of cheesecloth into a sterilized bottle. Motherless or not, vinegar has ...
2014, Bill Collins, Making & Using Vinegar: Recipes That Celebrate Vinegar, page 4:
A number of things along the way, such as temperature fluctuations, bacteria, and dust in the air, can derail and ruin a motherless vinegar. But if you use a mother, ...