From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmotherlessmoth‧er‧less /ˈmʌðələs $ -ðər-/ adjective SSCa motherless child is one whose mother has died → fatherless homes for children who had been left motherless
Examples from the Corpus
motherless• In one shocking instant Tim, 32, had become a widower, and his 23-month-old daughter Sophie motherless.• What was beautiful about the death of a young girl, leaving a motherless child?• With her father frequently away on business trips, the motherless Frankie turns to Berenice for guidance.• That was all it took, and no motherless gal was going to break it up. 