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Ma in Scrabble and Meaning

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Is ma a Scrabble word?

Yes. The word ma is a Scrabble US word. The word ma is worth 4 points in Scrabble:

M3A1

Is ma a Scrabble UK word?

Yes. The word ma is a Scrabble UK word and has 4 points:

M3A1

Is ma a Words With Friends word?

Yes. The word ma is a Words With Friends word. The word ma is worth 5 points in Words With Friends (WWF):

M4A1

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AM,MA,

You can make 2 words from ma according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

Definitions and meaning of ma

ma

English

Etymology 1

Noun

ma (plural mas)

  1. (astronomy, usually in the plural) Abbreviation of milli-arcsecond.

Etymology 2

The sound, which parents interpret as a reference to themselves, is very commonly made by infants. For more on the linguistic process whereby infants' monosyllables are tied to ancient word roots for parents, see mama, papa, mātēr, and patēr.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mɑː/
  • Rhymes: -ɑː

Noun

ma (plural mas)

  1. (colloquial, and in direct address) mother, mama
    Coordinate term: pa
  2. (colloquial) The landlady of a theater.
Usage notes
  • Often capitalized when used to refer to a specific person.
Synonyms
Translations
References
  • (landlady of a theater): 1984, Jonathon Green, Newspeak.

See also

  • pa

Etymology 3

Abbreviation.

Noun

ma

  1. May.
Usage notes
  • Usually capitalised as Ma.

Etymology 4

From my.

Determiner

ma

  1. (dialectal, informal) Alternative spelling of my.

Etymology 5

From Cantonese 嘛 (maa3, “of course!”).

Particle

ma

  1. (Manglish, Singlish) Alternative form of mah.

Etymology 6

From Mandarin 嗎／吗 (ma).

Particle

ma

  1. (Chinese Malaysian and Singaporean) Alternative spelling of mah.

Etymology 7

Japanese 間

Noun

ma (uncountable)

  1. (art) Negative space in Japanese art.

References

Anagrams

  • A&M, A. M., am, A. & M., AM, 'am, Am., Am, a.m., a. m., A.M.

Acehnese

Noun

ma

  1. mother

References

  • 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.

Achang

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ma (negative particle).

Pronunciation

  • (Myanmar) /ma˧/
  • (Lianghe) [n³¹]
  • (Longchuan) [ma³¹]
  • (Luxi) [m³¹]
  • (Xiandao) [m³¹]

Particle

ma

  1. Placed before a verb to negate it: not

Further reading

  • Inglis, Douglas, Sampu, Nasaw, Jaseng, Wilai, Jana, Thocha (2005) A preliminary Ngochang–Kachin–English Lexicon‎[2], Payap University, page 77

Afar

Alternative forms

  • máa

Etymology

From Proto-Afroasiatic *ma, *mi-.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈma/ [ˈmʌ]

Determiner

má (bound form maa-)

  1. what? what kind of?

Derived terms

Related terms

  • macá (“what?”)

References

  • E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) “ma”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

Noun

ma (plural ma's)

  1. mom, mother

Synonyms

  • mamma
  • moeder

Antonyms

  • pa

Derived terms

  • ouma

Ajië

Conjunction

ma

  1. and

References

  • Leenhardt, M. (1935) Vocabulaire et grammaire de la langue Houaïlou, Paris: Institut d'ethnologie. Cited in: "Houaïlou" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.
  • Leenhardt, M. (1946) Langues et dialectes de l'Austro-Mèlanèsie. Cited in: "Ajiø" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.

Akkadian

Etymology

Unknown. Compare Ge'ez -መ (-mma) (emphatic enclitic).

Pronunciation

  • (Old Babylonian) IPA(key): /ma/

Particle

ma

  1. (enclitic) and, but
  2. (enclitic) used to stress single words, especially the predicate of nominal clauses
    𒌓𒈠𒈠 [ūmamma] ― u₄-ma-ma ― this very day

Alternative forms

  • me, mu

References

  • Black, Jeremy, George, Andrew, Postgate, Nicholas (2000) “-ma”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, via the electronic Babylonian Library

Alemannic German

Alternative forms

  • mà, Maa, Mann, Mànn, mo

Etymology

From Middle High German man, from Old High German man, from Proto-Germanic *mann-.

Noun

ma m (Gressoney, Issime)

  1. man
  2. husband

References

  • Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Anaang

Verb

má

  1. to love

Further reading

  • Cristiane Benjamin Santos, Aspectos morfossintáticos dos pronomes pessoais em Anaan (2007)
  • Bruce Connell, Lower Cross Wordlist

Anguthimri

Noun

ma

  1. (Mpakwithi) man

Verb

ma

  1. (transitive, Mpakwithi) to hear
  2. (transitive, Mpakwithi) to listen

References

  • Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 187

'Are'are

Conjunction

ma

  1. and

References

  • Kateřina Naitoro, A Sketch Grammar of 'Are'are: The Sound System and Morpho-Syntax (2013)

Aromanian

Etymology 1

From Latin magis. Compare Romanian mai.

Adverb

ma

  1. more

Etymology 2

From Italian ma.

Conjunction

ma

  1. but, yet
  2. if

Asturian

Alternative forms

  • mamá

Etymology

See madre

Noun

ma f (plural mas)

  1. mother
    Synonym: madre

Bambara

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [màꜜà]

Noun

ma

  1. sea cow

Etymology 2

Verb

ma (auxiliary)

  1. (verbal auxiliary) marks an action which is not accomplished

References

  • 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.

Bavarian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mɑ/

Etymology 1

Unstressed form of mia

Pronoun

ma

  1. me (dative)
  2. we

See also

Etymology 2

From Middle High German man, from Old High German man, from Proto-West Germanic *mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann- (“person”). Compare German man and Dutch men.

Pronoun

ma

  1. one, you (indefinite pronoun; construed as a third-person singular)
    Ma waß nia, wås an erwoat. ― You never know what to expect.
  2. they, people (people in general)
    Des sågt ma hoid a so. ― That's just the way people say it.
  3. they (some unspecified group of people)

Breton

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun

ma

  1. my

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Interjection

ma

  1. good!

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Conjunction

ma

  1. that
  2. if
Synonyms
  • mar

Cameroon Pidgin

Determiner

ma

  1. alternative spelling of my (“1st person singular possessive determiner”)

Caolan

Pronunciation

Noun

ma

  1. horse

Catalan

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *mam, reduced form of Latin meam.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (Central, Balearic) [mə]
  • IPA(key): (Valencia) [ma]
  • Homophone: mà

Determiner

ma

  1. feminine singular of mon

Chamorro

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mæ/

Pronoun

ma

  1. they

Usage notes

  • ma is used solely as a subject of a transitive verb, while siha is used either as a subject of an intransitive verb or an object of a transitive verb.

See also

References

  • Donald M. Topping (1973) Chamorro Reference Grammar‎[3], Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

Champenois

Alternative forms

  • (Langrois) mo

Etymology

Inherited from Old French mes, Latin magis.

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ma/

Noun

ma

  1. (Troyen, Langrois) but

References

  • Daunay, Jean (1998) Parlers de Champagne : Pour un classement thématique du vocabulaire des anciens parlers de Champagne (Aube - Marne - Haute-Marne)‎[4] (in French), Rumilly-lés-Vaudes
  • Baudoin, Alphonse (1885) Glossaire de la forêt de Clairvaux‎[5] (in French), Troyes

Cimbrian

Etymology 1

From Middle High German māne, from Old High German māno, from Proto-West Germanic *mānō, from Proto-Germanic *mēnô (“moon”).

Noun

ma m

  1. (Tredici Comuni) moon
Alternative forms
  • maano, må

References

  • Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Etymology 2

An unstressed pronunciation of månn (“man”).

Pronoun

ma

  1. (Luserna) one, you (indefinite pronoun)

References

  • “ma” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.

Coatepec Nahuatl

Noun

ma

  1. hand.

Cornish

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *mɨn, *mow, from Proto-Celtic *mene, genitive form of *mī. Cognate with Breton ma, Irish and Scottish Gaelic mo, Manx my, and Welsh fy.

Pronoun

ma

  1. my
  2. Reduced form of my

See also

Mutation

Dama (Sierra Leone)

Etymology

Related to widespread words for "mother" and related respectful terms for women across West Africa.

Noun

ma

  1. mother-in-law

References

  • Dalby, T. D. P. (1963) “The extinct language of Dama”, in Sierra Leone Language Review, volume 2, Freetown: Fourah Bay College, pages 50–54

Dorze

Noun

ma

  1. bee (insect)

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /maː/
  • Hyphenation: ma
  • Rhymes: -aː

Noun

ma f (plural ma's, diminutive maatje n)

  1. (informal) mother

Synonyms

  • mama
  • moeder

Descendants

  • Negerhollands: maa

See also

  • oma
  • pa

Efik

Verb

má

  1. love, like

Further reading

  • Bruce Connell, Lower Cross Wordlist

Estonian

Etymology

Abbreviation of mina, from Proto-Finnic *minä, from Proto-Uralic *minä.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mɑ/

Pronoun

ma (genitive mu, partitive mind, long form mina)

  1. I (1st person singular personal pronoun)

Usage notes

  • Used unstressed in a sentence; when the pronoun is stressed, mina is used.

Declension

See also

Further reading

  • “ma”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009
  • “ma”, in [ÕS] Eesti õigekeelsussõnaraamat ÕS 2018 [Estonian Spelling Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2018, →ISBN
  • ma in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)

Finnish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈmɑ/, [ˈmɑ̝]
  • Rhymes: -ɑ
  • Syllabification(key): ma
  • Hyphenation(key): ma

Etymology 1

Noun

ma

  1. abbreviation of maanantai (“Monday”)

Further reading

  • “ma”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎[6] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-01

Etymology 2

See minä; developed through contraction. Compare Estonian ma.

Pronoun

ma (poetic, archaic)

  1. (personal) I
Declension

Other forms than the nominative generally align with mä.

Synonyms
  • minä (standard Finnish; see it for full list)

Franco-Provençal

Determiner

ma

  1. feminine singular of mon

French

Etymology

From Old French ma, from Latin meam.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ma/

Determiner

ma f

  1. feminine singular of mon

Usage notes

Ma can only be used before feminine singular nouns and adjectives that begin with either a consonant or an aspirated H. The masculine form mon is used before feminine singular nouns and adjectives that begin with either a vowel or muted H.

Related terms

Descendants

  • Louisiana Creole: mâ

Further reading

  • “ma”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin magis.

Conjunction

ma

  1. but

German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ma/, [mä], [mɐ]

Adverb

ma

  1. (colloquial) pronunciation spelling of mal

Havasupai-Walapai-Yavapai

Pronoun

ma

  1. 2nd-person singular pronoun: you
  2. 2nd-person plural pronoun: you
  3. 2nd-person singular possessive pronoun: your
  4. 2nd-person plural possessive pronoun: your

See also

Hawaiian

Alternative forms

  • ma-

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ma/, [mə]

Preposition

ma

  1. in, at

Hungarian

Etymology

Probably related to más.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈmɒ]
  • Rhymes: -mɒ

Adverb

ma

  1. today
    Synonym: (folksy) máma
    Coordinate terms: holnap, tegnap
  2. (attributively, before any time of day) this …… (morning etc.), to-…… (as in “tonight”)
    ma reggel/délelőtt ― this morning
    ma délután ― this afternoon
    ma este ― this evening
    ma éjjel/éjszaka ― tonight
    ma hajnalban, délben, éjfélkor ― at dawn, noon, midnight today

Noun

ma (usually uncountable, plural mák)

  2. (usually preceded by the definite article “a”) today (the present time period; nowadays)

Declension

The suffixed singular forms máig, mára, mához, máról, and mától are common, while mát, mának, mával, máért, mában, mánál, mába, and mából occur mostly in a figurative sense, referring to the present time. The phrase a mai nap is commonly used in its literal sense, adding suffixes to nap instead of this term. Its plural forms are virtually non-existent.

Its (single- and multiple-possession) possessive forms are hardly if ever used.

Derived terms

Related terms

  • más

Further reading

  • ma in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
  • ma in Zaicz, Gábor (ed.). Etimológiai szótár: Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete (‘Dictionary of Etymology: The origin of Hungarian words and affixes’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, →ISBN.  (See also its 2nd edition.)

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from French mais, Italian ma, Portuguese and Spanish mas, all from Latin magis, from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ma/

Conjunction

ma

  1. but

Synonyms

  • sed (archaic)

Interlingua

Etymology

From Italian ma.

Conjunction

ma

  1. but

Isoko

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Edoid *mhanhɪ.

Pronoun

ma

  1. First person plural pronoun, we.

Istriot

Etymology

From Latin magis.

Conjunction

ma

  1. but

Italian

Alternative forms

  • mà (misspelling or obsolete)

Etymology

From Latin magis.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈma/*, /ˈma/
  • Rhymes: -a
  • Hyphenation: mà

Conjunction

ma

  1. but

See also

  • però
  • macché

Noun

ma f

  1. (colloquial, chiefly in the vocative) abbreviation of mamma

Usage notes

Rarely if ever used outside of calling out to one's own mother. The word also carries a slight sense of attachment.

Interjection

ma

  1. (informal, emphatic) indicates emotion or emphasis
    Ma che carino! ― Oh how cute!
    Ma che volete da me?! ― What in the heck do you want from me?!
  2. (informal) used to direct attention to something else (in question sentences)
    Ma... tu sei di Roma? ― [So] uhh... you are from Rome?
    Ma ti sei divertito oppure no? ― [That said though] did you have fun or not?
  3. alternative spelling of mah

References

Further reading

  • ma in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Japanese

Romanization

ma

  1. The hiragana syllable ま (ma) or the katakana syllable マ (ma) in Hepburn romanization.

Jarawa

Etymology

Cognate to Önge mi (“I; me”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ma/

Pronoun

ma

  1. me; us (singular and plural first-person pronoun in the accusative case)

Usage notes

The pronoun mi can also be used in the accusative case, but it is less common than ma. When used in possessive constructions, the choice of pronoun is largely determined by vowel harmony.

See also

References

  • Kumar, Pramod (2012) Descriptive and Typological Study of Jarawa[7] (PhD). Jawaharlal Nehru University. Page 76—85.

Kabyle

Conjunction

ma

  1. if

Kavalan

Adverb

ma

  1. only

Noun

ma

  1. daddy; father (term of address)

Keoru-Ahia

Noun

ma

  1. water

References

  • Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67

Kikuyu

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mǎꜜ/
As for Tonal Class, Benson (1964) classifies this term into Class 3 with a monosyllabic stem, together with rũkũ, and so on.
  • (Kiambu)
    • (Limuru) As for Tonal Class, Yukawa (1981) classifies this term into a group including baba, guka, gũtũ, mũguĩ, mũtwe, nyamũ, ruo, rũhĩ (pl. hĩ), rũkũ (pl. ngũ), taata (“my aunt”), ũta (pl. mota), ũthiũ (pl. mothiũ), and so on.

Noun

ma

  1. truth

Adverb

ma

  1. truly

Etymology 2

Particle

ma

  1. (for class 6) of

References

Ladino

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish mas, from Latin magis (“more”).

Pronunciation

Conjunction

ma (Hebrew spelling מה)

  1. but
    Synonyms: ama, pero
  2. why

References

Lala (South Africa)

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-jɪ́ma.

Verb

-má

  1. to stand

Lhao Vo

Etymology

Cognate with Burmese အမွေ (a.mwe).

Noun

ma

  1. inheritance
  2. heirloom

References

  • Dr. Ola Hanson, A Dictionary of the Kachin Language (1906).

Ligurian

Conjunction

ma

  1. but

Linngithigh

Etymology

From Proto-Paman *pama.

Noun

ma (ergative mal, dative maw)

  1. man, person

Livonian

Alternative forms

  • minā

Etymology

Shorter form of minā.

Pronoun

ma

  1. I; first person pronoun, referring to the speaker

Declension

See also

  • sinā, sa
  • tämā, ta

References

Renāte Blumberga, Tapio Mäkeläinen, Karl Pajusalu (2013), Lībieši: vēsture, valoda un kultūra, Rīga: Līvõ Kultūr sidām, →ISBN

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ma]

Verb

ma

  1. third-person singular present of měś

Maltese

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /maː/
  • Usually unstressed and then automatically shortened to /ma/.
  • Homophone: ma’

Etymology 1

From Arabic مَا (mā, “not”).

Adverb

ma

  1. not; used to negate verbs and pronominal adverbs
    Illum ma nixrobx. ― I do not drink today.
    Qatt ma nixrob. ― I never drink. / I do not ever drink.
Usage notes
  • Generally used together with the negative ending -x attached to the verb or pronominal adverb. This ending is absent, however, when another negative word is used, such as qatt (“never”), ebda (“no, none”), ħadd (“nobody”), xejn (“nothing”).

Etymology 2

From Arabic مَا (mā, “what”).

Pronoun

ma

  1. (relative) alternative form of li (“who, which, that”), used in some fossiled expressions
  2. (obsolete, with comparative adjective) how (as in “how beautiful is...”)
    Synonym: kemm
Derived terms

Mandarin

Romanization

ma (ma5 / ma0, Zhuyin ˙ㄇㄚ)

  1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 么
  2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 嗎 / 吗
  3. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 嘛
  4. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 㕰

ma

  1. nonstandard spelling of mā
  2. nonstandard spelling of má
  3. nonstandard spelling of mǎ
  4. nonstandard spelling of mà

Usage notes

  • Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Maonan

Noun

ma

  1. dog

Maricopa

Noun

ma

  1. milk

Mbyá Guaraní

Adverb

ma

  1. already

Particle

ma

  1. separates the topic from the rest of the sentence.

Middle English

Pronoun

ma

  1. alternative form of man (“one, you”)

Mursi

Etymology

Cognate with Suri ma.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mà/, [mà]
  • Hyphenation: ma

Noun

ma (Ethiopic script ማ)

  1. water
  2. river

References

  • David Turton, Moges Yigezu, Olisarali Olibui (2008) “ma”, in Mursi-English-Amharic dictionary, →ISBN, page 117
  • Firew Girma Worku (2020) A grammar of Mursi, page 123

Neapolitan

Etymology

From Latin magis. Compare Italian ma, French mais.

Conjunction

ma

  1. but

Nefamese

Etymology

From Assamese মা (ma), Early Assamese মাৱ (mawo), from Prakrit 𑀫𑀸𑀬𑀸 (māyā), from Sanskrit माता (mātā).

Noun

ma

  1. mother, mom

Ngarla

Verb

ma

  1. A verbaliser, creating multi-word verbs from nouns and adjectives

Declension

References

  • Westerlund, T. (2007). A grammatical sketch of Ngarla: A language of Western Australia. Uppsala University.

Nigerian Pidgin

Etymology

From English my.

Determiner

ma (with tonal diacritic: má)

  1. my

North Frisian

Preposition

ma

  1. (Mooring) with

Northern Ndebele

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-jɪ́ma.

Verb

-má

  1. to stand

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Old Czech

Etymology

Derived from the 1st person dual suffix -ma, which itself is a neologism, found in 15th century texts, derived from the 1st person dual suffix -va under the influence of the 1st person plural suffices -m/-me/-my. There aren't many attestations of this pronoun.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (13th CE) /ˈma/
  • IPA(key): (15th CE) /ˈma/

Pronoun

ma

  1. (rare) we two (first person dual)
    Synonyms: vě, va

Declension

References

  • Jan Gebauer (1903–1916) “ma”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *maiz. Cognate with Old Frisian mā, Old Saxon mēr, Old Dutch mēr, Old High German mēr, Old Norse meir, Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐍃 (mais).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mɑː/

Adverb

mā

  1. more
    • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' Metres of Boethius, lines 85-89
    • The Life of Saint Margaret
  2. further
    • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy
  3. instead, rather

Adjective

mā (indeclinable)

  1. more (often + genitive)
    • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Saint Maur, Abbot"

Usage notes

The expected comparative and superlative forms of mā, māra and mǣst, occur, but are traditionally considered to be suppletive forms of miċel instead.

Old French

Etymology

From Latin meam.

Determiner

ma f (masculine mon, plural mes)

  1. my (first-person singular possessive)

Descendants

  • French: ma

Old Frisian

Pronoun

ma

  1. one

Old Irish

Conjunction

ma

  1. alternative spelling of má

Omaha-Ponca

Noun

ma

  1. snow

References

  • Omaha Ponca digital dictionary

Opao

Noun

ma

  1. water

References

  • Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67

Orokolo

Noun

ma

  1. water

References

  • Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67

Phalura

Etymology

From Sanskrit म (ma, “1sg (base of oblique cases)”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ma/

Pronoun

ma (personal, Perso-Arabic spelling مہ)

  1. I (1sg nom, subject), me (1sg direct object)

Alternative forms

  • máa- (Forming one phonological word with following postposition or clitic, e.g. máathe 'me, to me' with the 'to'.)

References

  • Henrik Liljegren, Naseem Haider (2011) “ma”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎[10], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN
  • Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “ma”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

Pipil

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /maː/

Particle

mā

  1. Subjunctive marker
  2. clipping of maka (Negative imperative marker)

Usage notes

  • The particle ma helps disambiguating many of the subjunctive forms from the present indicative or imperative forms.

Verb

-má

  1. clipping of -maka

Pitjantjatjara

Adverb

ma

  1. away

Pohnpeian

Conjunction

ma

  1. if

Polish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈma/
  • Rhymes: -a
  • Syllabification: ma

Etymology 1

Verb

ma

  1. third-person singular present indicative of mieć
    Andrzej ma 18 lat. ― Andrzej is 18 years old.

Etymology 2

Pronoun

ma

  1. (literary) alternative form of moja

Further reading

  • ma in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mɐ/

Contraction

ma

  1. contraction of me a (“her/it to me”)

Romani

Etymology

Inherited from Prakrit 𑀫𑀸 (mā), from Ashokan Prakrit 𑀫𑀸 (mā), from Sanskrit मा (mā).

Particle

ma

  1. don't (prohibitive particle)

References

  • Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “māˊ”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 574
  • Boretzky, Norbert, Igla, Birgit (1994) “ma¹”, in Wörterbuch Romani-Deutsch-Englisch für den südosteuropäischen Raum : mit einer Grammatik der Dialektvarianten [Romani-German-English dictionary for the Southern European region] (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 172a
  • Marcel Courthiade (2009) “ma (and-e rokhimàta)”, in Melinda Rézműves, editor, Morri angluni rromane ćhibǎqi evroputni lavustik = Első rromani nyelvű európai szótáram : cigány, magyar, angol, francia, spanyol, német, ukrán, román, horvát, szlovák, görög [My First European-Romani Dictionary: Romani, Hungarian, English, French, Spanish, German, Ukrainian, Romanian, Croatian, Slovak, Greek] (overall work in Hungarian and English), Budapest: Fővárosi Onkormányzat Cigány Ház--Romano Kher, →ISBN, page 231a

Romanian

Adverb

ma

  1. obsolete form of mai

References

  • ma in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN

Salar

Conjunction

ma

  1. and

Samoan

Etymology

Cognate with Maori me and Hawaiian me.

Conjunction

ma

  1. and
  2. because

Preposition

ma

  1. with

Savi

Etymology

From Sanskrit मया (mayā) or another form of अहम् (aham, “I”).

Pronoun

ma

  1. I; first-person singular personal pronoun

References

  • Knobloch, Nina (2020) A grammar sketch of Sauji: An Indo-Aryan language of Afghanistan‎[11], Stockholm: Stockholm University

Scots

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ma/, /mə/

Determiner

ma

  1. alternative form of my

References

  • “my, poss. adj.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 23 May 2024, reproduced from W[illiam] Grant and D[avid] D. Murison, editors, The Scottish National Dictionary, Edinburgh: Scottish National Dictionary Association, 1931–1976, →OCLC.

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish má, from Proto-Celtic *mā, *ma (compare Cornish and Breton mar), from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂.

Conjunction

ma

  1. if
    Ma tha thu ’g iarrraidh sin… ― If you want that…
    Ma bhios tu…/Ma bhitheas tu… ― If you will be…/If you are… (habitual)

Usage notes

  • Where followed by the ‘future’ tense, the corresponding relative verb-form is used.
  • In the conditional tense, instead of ma, nan/nam is used in positive sentences and mura/mur/mana in negative ones.

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Italian ma, reinforced by Ancient Greek μά (má); both ultimately from Latin magis.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mâ/
  • Hyphenation: m‧a

Interjection

mȁ (Cyrillic spelling ма̏)

  1. bah, whatever
  2. Placed at the beginning of a sentence to add intensity and surprise
    Ma kako?! ― How?!
    Ma gdje? ― Where in the world...?
    Ma da? ― Really?
    Ma to je on! ― That's definitely him!
  3. Placed at the beginning of a sentence to express dismissal and indignation
    Ma ne. ― No way.
    Ma daj. ― Oh come on.
    Ma kakvi. ― Impossible.
  4. Used to emphasize sarcasm
    Ma da!/Ma svakako!/Ma naravno! ― Yeah, sure.
    Ma nemoj. ― Oh you don't say?
    Ma nikad niste vi krivi. ― Of course it can never be your fault.

Situ

Etymology

Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ma.

Particle

ma

  1. not, no; negative particle

Further reading

  • M. Prins, A Grammar of rGyalrong, Jiǎomùzú (Kyom-kyo) Dialects: A Web of Relations (2016) (and earlier A Web of Relations: A Grammar of rGyalrong, Jiǎomùzú (Kyom-kyo) Dialects, 2011)

Slovak

Alternative forms

  • mňa

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ma]

Pronoun

ma

  1. genitive/accusative of ja

Spanish

Noun

ma f (plural mas)

  1. (Latin America) mum; mom

Further reading

  • “ma”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Sumerian

Romanization

ma

  1. romanization of 𒈠 (ma)

Suri

Noun

mà

  1. water

References

  • 1999, Michael Bryant, Aspects of Tirmaga Grammar (in notes, as ma)
  • Michael Bryant, A Brief Grammar of the Suri Language (2011) (as mà)

Swazi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-jɪ́ma.

Verb

-́ma

  1. to stand
  2. to stop, to wait

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Tagalog

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ma/ [mɐ]
  • Rhymes: -a
  • Syllabification: ma

Etymology 1

Influenced by Baybayin character ᜋ (ma).

Noun

ma (Baybayin spelling ᜋ)

  1. the name of the Latin-script letter M/m, in the Abakada alphabet
    Synonyms: (in the Filipino alphabet) em, (in the Abecedario) eme

See also

  • mama

Etymology 2

Noun

ma (Baybayin spelling ᜋ)

  1. clipping of mama: mom

Etymology 3

Noun

ma (Baybayin spelling ᜋ)

  1. (zoology) mollusk with a shell that looks like a coat of mail

Further reading

  • “ma”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Anagrams

  • am

Tahitian

Conjunction

ma

  1. and

Preposition

ma

  1. with

Tairuma

Noun

ma

  1. alternative form of ma'a

References

  • Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67

Tat

Etymology

Cognate with Persian ماه (mâh).

Noun

ma

  1. moon

Tày

Pronunciation

  • (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA(key): [maː˧˧]
  • (Trùng Khánh) IPA(key): [maː˦˥]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Tai *ʰmaːᴬ (“dog”). Cognate with Thai หมา (mǎa), Northern Thai ᩉ᩠ᨾᩣ, Lao ໝາ (mā), Tai Dam ꪢꪱ, Lü ᦖᦱ (ṁaa), Shan မႃ (mǎa), Tai Nüa ᥛᥣᥴ (máa), Aiton မႃ (mā), Ahom 𑜉𑜠 (ma), Zhuang ma, Saek หม่า.

Noun

ma (𬍄)

  1. (zoology) dog
Synonyms
  • cẩu
Derived terms

References

  • Lương Bèn (2011) Từ điển Tày-Việt [Tay-Vietnamese dictionary]‎[12][13] (in Vietnamese), Thái Nguyên: Nhà Xuất bản Đại học Thái Nguyên
  • Lục Văn Pảo, Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003) Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎[14] (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội

Etymology 2

From Vietnamese ma.

Noun

ma (魔)

  1. ghost

Teanu

Etymology

From Proto-Vanikoro *ma, from Proto-Oceanic *lima, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *lima, from Proto-Austronesian *lima.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ma/

Noun

ma

  1. arm
  2. hand

References

  • François, Alexandre. 2021. Teanu dictionary (Solomon Islands). Dictionaria 15. 1-1877. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.5653063. – entry ma.
  • François, Alexandre. 2021. Online Teanu–English dictionary, with equivalents in Lovono and Tanema. Electronic files. Paris: CNRS. – entry ma.
  • Lackey, W.J.. & Boerger, B.H. (2021) “Reexamining the Phonological History of Oceanic's Temotu subgroup”, in Oceanic Linguistics.

Ternate

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ma/

Conjunction

ma

  1. relative clause introducer; which, that
    Synonym: yang

References

  • Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Toaripi

Noun

ma

  1. (Toaripi, Kaipi, Sepoe) water

References

  • Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67

Tokelauan

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ma]
  • Hyphenation: ma

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *ma. Cognates include Maori mā and Samoan ma.

Conjunction

ma

  1. Joins noun clauses; and, with
  2. Joins verb clauses; and, also, too

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *ma.

Preposition

ma

  1. from, away from

Etymology 3

Preposition

ma

  1. Marks a prospective role of the subject; as, for

References

  • R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎[17], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 198

Tz'utujil

Adverb

ma

  1. not

Veps

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *maa, from Proto-Uralic *mëxe.

Noun

ma

  1. earth
  2. ground
  3. soil
  4. land, country, region
  5. state

Inflection

Derived terms

References

  • Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “грунт, держава, земля, почва, свет, страна”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎[18], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 魔.

The modern Vietnamese usage of ma (“ghost”) and quỷ (“demon; ogre”) is contrary to that of Mandarin 魔 (mó, “demon”) and 鬼 (guǐ, “ghost”). This can be exemplified in the pair ma đói vs. 餓鬼 / 饿鬼 (ngạ quỷ, “preta”).

Pronunciation

  • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [maː˧˧]
  • (Huế) IPA(key): [maː˧˧]
  • (Saigon) IPA(key): [maː˧˧]

Noun

(classifier con) ma

  1. ghost (spirit appearing after death)
  2. (archaic) a demon
    Synonym: quỷ

Derived terms

Romanization

ma

  1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 魔

Derived terms

Anagrams

  • am

Vilamovian

Pronoun

ma

  1. (indefinite) one, they (indefinite third-person singular pronoun)

Vilela

Noun

ma

  1. water

References

  • Bernard Comrie, Lucía Golluscio, Language Contact and Documentation (2015, →ISBN
  • Bartolomé Tavera-Acosta, En el sur: (Dialectos indígenas de Venezuela) (1907)

Warao

Alternative forms

  • m-

Pronoun

ma

  1. my
  2. me, accusative of iné

References

  • Focus, chapter 8: Warao and Urarina
  • Languages with Wilf, Comparison: Warao vs. Warray

West Makian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ma/

Pronoun

ma

  1. (animate) third-person possessive pronoun, its
    mene me mo oma ― this is his child (literally, “this (is) he his child”)
    da kabi mo gou ― the goat's leg
Usage notes

The possessive pronoun ma follows West Makian vowel harmony, and as such may surface as me, mi, or mo.

Alternative forms
  • me, mi, mo

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ma/

Determiner

ma

  1. (distal) that, those
    Synonym: mema
    Antonym: ne
    pala ma ilamo ― that house is large
    oma ma ― those children

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ma/

Conjunction

ma

  1. then
    toi ipongi, ma tasagal yo ― if it rains, then I won't go

References

  • Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎[19], Pacific linguistics

Wolof

Pronoun

ma

  1. me (first-person singular object pronoun)

See also

Wutunhua

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [mɑ]

Etymology 1

Probably related to Mandarin 麼／么 (me).

Pronoun

ma

  1. what (interrogative)
Related terms

Etymology 2

From Mandarin 馬 / 马 (mǎ).

Noun

ma

  1. horse

References

  • Juha Janhunen, Marja Peltomaa, Erika Sandman, Xiawu Dongzhou (2008) Wutun (LINCOM's Descriptive Grammar Series), volume 466, LINCOM Europa, →ISBN
  • Erika Sandman (2016) A Grammar of Wutun‎[20], University of Helsinki (PhD), →ISBN

Xhosa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-jɪ́ma.

Verb

-̂ma

  1. (intransitive) to halt
  2. (intransitive) to stop

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms

  • ummi

Yola

Verb

ma

  1. alternative form of mye (“may”)

References

  • Kathleen A. Browne (1927) “THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD.”, in Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of lreland (Sixth Series)‎[21], volume 17, number 2, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, page 137

Zazaki

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ma

Pronoun

ma

  1. we; us (first-person plural personal pronoun)

Zhuang

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Zhuang) IPA(key): /ma˨˦/
  • Tone numbers: ma1
  • Hyphenation: ma

Etymology 1

From Proto-Tai *ʰmaːᴬ (“dog”). Cognate with Thai หมา (mǎa), Northern Thai ᩉ᩠ᨾᩣ, Lao ໝາ (mā), Lü ᦖᦱ (ṁaa), Tai Dam ꪢꪱ, Shan မႃ (mǎa), Tai Nüa ᥛᥣᥴ (máa), Aiton မႃ (mā), Ahom 𑜉𑜠 (ma), Saek หม่า.

Noun

ma (classifier duz, Sawndip forms 𬌫 or 獁 or 𬍄 or 𰡪 or 䭾 or 庅 or 犸 or 𭸱, 1957–1982 spelling ma)

  1. dog
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Proto-Tai *ʰmaːᴬ (“to come”). Cognate with Thai มา (maa), Northern Thai ᨾᩣ (ma), Lao ມາ (mā), Lü ᦙᦱ (maa), Tai Nüa ᥛᥣᥰ (mäa), Shan မႃး (máa), Aiton မႃ (mā), Ahom 𑜉𑜠 (ma) or 𑜉𑜡 (mā) or 𑜉𑜡𑜠 (māa).

Verb

ma (Sawndip forms 庲 or ⿸广末 or 么 or 麻 or ⿸广处 or 𮜃 or ⿰么馬 or ⿰㐅馬 or 𫹞 or 駡, 1957–1982 spelling ma)

  1. to come back; to return
See also
  • maz

Zulu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-jɪ́ma.

Verb

-má

  1. (intransitive) to stand, to be standing
  2. (intransitive) to stand still, to not move
  3. (intransitive) to stop, to come to a standstill, to halt

Inflection

Derived terms

  • -mi
  • isimo
  • umumo

References

  • C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “ma”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “ma”

Source: wiktionary.org