Mama in Scrabble and Meaning

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Valid words made from Mama

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4-letter words (1 found)

3-letter words (3 found)

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You can make 8 words from mama according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

Definitions and meaning of mama

mama

English

Alternative forms

• mamma, momma, mumma

Etymology

Originally from baby talk. Possibly influenced by Middle English mome (“mother, aunt”), from Old English *mōme, from Proto-West Germanic *mōmā, from Proto-Germanic *mōmǭ (“mother, aunt”), from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂-méh₂, reduplication of *méh₂- (“mother”), related to German Muhme (“aunt”), Latin mamma (“mother, nurse”), Irish mam (“mother”), Lithuanian mama, moma (“mother”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /məˈmɑː/
• (General American) enPR: mäʹmə, IPA^(key): /ˈmɑmə/
• Rhymes: (General American) -ɑːmə, (UK) -ɑː

Noun

mama (plural mamas)

1. (hypocoristic, usually childish, Canada, US) Mother, female parent.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• amma, ma'am

Aklanon

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *mamaq, compare Malay mamah.

Verb

mama

1. to chew (tobacco, betel)

Amis

Noun

mama

1. father

'Are'are

Etymology

From the prefix ma- and ama.

Noun

mama

1. father

References

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

Aukan

Noun

mama

1. mother
2. woman

   Synonym: uman

Aymara

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.ma/

Noun

mama

1. mother
2. Mrs., mistress (general respectful address for married women).

   tatanak mamanaka ― ladies and gentlemen

Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

Noun

mama (definite accusative mamanı, plural mamalar)

1. (dialectal) paternal aunt

   Synonym: bibi

2. mom

   Synonym: ana

3. midwife

   Synonym: mamaça

Usage notes

Declension

References

Further reading

• “mama” in Obastan.com.

Bavarian

Noun

mama

1. (Timau) mother, mom, mama

References

• Umberto Patuzzi, ed., (2013) Ünsarne Börtar, Luserna: Comitato unitario delle linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien.

Bikol Central

Etymology 1

Possibly from Spanish mamá. Compare Tagalog mama, Cebuano mama.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ma‧ma
• IPA^(key): /ˈmama/ [ˈma.ma]

Noun

máma (masculine papa)

1. a mother; a (human) female who (a) parents a child (b) gives birth to a baby (c) donates a fertilized egg or (d) donates a body cell which has resulted in a clone. Sometimes used in reference to a pregnant female, possibly as a shortened form of mother-to-be

   Synonyms: ina, nanay

2. a term of address to one's mother, mother-in-law or wife

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ma‧ma
• IPA^(key): /maˈmaʔ/ [maˈmaʔ]

Noun

mamâ

1. betel nut

Derived terms

Brunei Malay

Noun

mama

1. A mother.

   Synonym: babu

Catalan

Etymology 1

From Latin mamma.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈma.mə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈma.ma]

Noun

mama f (plural mames)

1. (informal) mom
2. (anatomy) mamma

Derived terms

• càncer de mama (“breast cancer”)

Related terms

Further reading

• “mama”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April
• “mama”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
• “mama” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “mama” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Etymology 2

Verb

mama

1. inflection of mamar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Cebuano

Etymology

Possibly from Spanish mamá. Compare Tagalog mama, Bikol Central mama.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ma‧ma

Noun

mama

1. a mother; a (human) female who (a) parents a child (b) gives birth to a baby (c) donates a fertilized egg or (d) donates a body cell which has resulted in a clone

   Synonyms: ina, inahan, nanay

2. a term of address to one's mother, mother-in-law or wife

Usage notes

• Sense 1 is sometimes used in reference to a pregnant female, possibly as a shortened form of mother-to-be.

Chinook Jargon

Etymology

From English mama or French maman.

Noun

mama

1. mother

   Synonym: naha

   Coordinate term: papa

Dutch

Etymology

Loaned from French maman

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑmaː/
• (Belgium) IPA^(key): /mɑˈmaː/
• Rhymes: -aː

Noun

mama f (plural mama's, diminutive mamaatje n)

1. mama, mother

   Mama, ik heb honger! ― Mommy, I’m hungry!

   Synonyms: ma, mam

   Synonyms: moeder, moe, (Flemish) moeke

Alternative forms

• mamma

Derived terms

• mama appelsap

Descendants

• Berbice Creole Dutch: mama
• Negerhollands: mama, Mama
  • → Virgin Islands Creole: muma

References

Ewe

Noun

mama

1. grandmother

Fijian

Noun

mama

1. ring (for one's finger)

Galician

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese mama, from Latin mamma.

Noun

mama f (plural mamas)

1. (anatomy) mamma, breast

Related terms

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

mama

1. inflection of mamar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Garo

Etymology

Likely from Bengali মামা (mama)

Noun

mama

1. maternal uncle
2. husband of aunt
3. father-in-law
4. brother of father-in-law

Synonyms

• mamagipa (formal)
• mamatang (formal)

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology

From Portuguese mama. Cognate with Kabuverdianu mama.

Noun

mama

1. bosom
2. breast of a woman

Hausa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /màː.má/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [màː.mə́]

Noun

mā̀ma f (possessed form mā̀mar̃)

1. mother

   Synonym: uwa

Noun

mā̀ma m (possessed form mā̀man)

1. breast

   Synonym: nono

Hawaiian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *mamaq.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈma.ma/, [ˈmɐ.mə]

Verb

mama

1. to chew, masticate (but not swallow)

References

• Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1986) “mama”, in Hawaiian Dictionary, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɒmɒ]
• Hyphenation: ma‧ma
• Rhymes: -mɒ

Noun

mama (plural mamák)

1. mom, mum

   Synonyms: anya, anyu, édesanya, anyuka, anyuci

   Coordinate term: papa

2. (dialectal) grandmom

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• mama 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.

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from English mama, French maman, German Mama, Italian mamma, Russian ма́ма (máma), Spanish mamá.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmama/

Noun

mama (plural mamai)

1. mama, mom, mommy, mum

   Synonym: matro

   Coordinate terms: papa, patro

Ilocano

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈma/ [mɐˈma]
• Hyphenation: ma‧ma

Noun

mamá (Kur-itan spelling ᜋᜋ)

1. momma (a betel nut plus other ingredients to be chewed on)

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈmama/ [ˈma.ma]
• Rhymes: -ama
• Syllabification: ma‧ma

Etymology 1

Originally from baby talk.

Noun

mama (plural mama-mama)

1. mother (female parent)

   Synonyms: biyung, bunda, emak, embok, ibu, ibunda, ibung, indung, mak, mami, mandeh, mbok, umi

Alternative forms

• mamah

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Latin mamma, from Ancient Greek μάμμη (mámmē).

Noun

mama (plural mama-mama)

1. (medicine) mamma, breast, udder (the milk-secreting organ of female humans and other mammals)

   Synonyms: buah dada, bukit kembar, gunung kembar, payudara, susu, tetek, toket

2. (meteorology) mamma (an accessory cloud like a mammary in appearance, which can form on the underside of most cloud genera)

Further reading

• “mama” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Ingrian

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian мама (mama).

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑmɑ/, [ˈmɑmɑ]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑmɑ/, [ˈmɑmɑ]
• Rhymes: -ɑmɑ
• Hyphenation: ma‧ma

Noun

mama

1. mum, mama

Declension

Coordinate terms

• papa (“dad; papa”)

References

• Fedor Tumansky (1790) “мама”, in Опытъ повѣствованїя о дѣянїях, положенїи, состоянїи и раздѣленїи Санкт-Петербургской губернїи [An experiment of an account of the acts, location, condition and division of the Saint Petersburg gubernia], Краткїй словарь ижерскаго, финскаго, эстонскаго, чюдскаго, и ямскаго нарѣчїя съ россїйскимъ переводомъ [A short dictionary of the Ingrian, Finnish, Estonian, Chud and Yamtian dialects with a Russian translation], page 699
• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 295

Irish

Etymology

From Latin mamma.

Noun

mama m (genitive singular mama, nominative plural mamaí)

1. (literary) breast, pap
2. (anatomy) mamma

   Synonym: faireog mhamach

Declension

Mutation

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “mama”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “mama”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• “mama”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2025

Istriot

Etymology

From Latin mamma.

Noun

mama f

1. mom, mamma, mother

See also

• mare

Japanese

Romanization

mama

1. Rōmaji transcription of まま
2. Rōmaji transcription of ママ

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese mama.

Noun

mama

1. bosom
2. breast of a woman

Krisa

Pronoun

mama

1. you

Laboya

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmaːma]

Etymology 1

Verb

mama

1. to chew betel

Etymology 2

Noun

mama

1. to mother

References

• Allahverdi Verdizade (2019) “mama”, in Lamboya word list‎^[1], Leiden: LexiRumah

Latgalian

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *mā́ˀmāˀ. Cognates include Latvian mama and Lithuanian mama.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmama]
• Hyphenation: ma‧ma

Noun

mama f (diminutive mameņa)

1. (colloquial) mum, mummy

Declension

Synonyms

• (more formal) muote

Coordinate terms

• tēte (“dad”)

References

• A. Andronov, L. Leikuma (2008) Latgalīšu-Latvīšu-Krīvu sarunu vuordineica, Lvava, →ISBN, page 10

Lithuanian

Etymology

A nursery word. From Proto-Balto-Slavic *mā́ˀmāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂-méh₂, a reduplication of *méh₂- - the root of *méh₂tēr (“mother”).

Cognate with Proto-Slavic *mama, German Muhme (“aunt”), Latin mamma (“mother, nurse”), Irish mam (“mother”) among others.

Noun

mamà f (plural mãmos) stress pattern 4

1. mother

Declension

Related terms

• mamýtė, mamẽlė (diminutive)

Lower Sorbian

Etymology

A nursery word. From Proto-Slavic *mama, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *mā́ˀmāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂-méh₂, a reduplication of *méh₂- - the root of *méh₂tēr (“mother”).

Cognate with German Muhme (“aunt”), Latin mamma (“mother, nurse”), Irish mam (“mother”), Lithuanian mama, moma (“mother”) among others. Cf. Proto-Slavic *tata, *baba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmama]

Noun

mama f (diminutive maminka)

1. mother, mom

Declension

Further reading

• Muka, Arnošt (1921, 1928) “mama”, in Słownik dolnoserbskeje rěcy a jeje narěcow (in German), St. Petersburg, Prague: ОРЯС РАН, ČAVU; Reprinted Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, 2008
• Starosta, Manfred (1999) “mama”, in Dolnoserbsko-nimski słownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch (in German), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag

Maguindanao

Etymology

From ma- and ama.

Adjective

mama

1. male

Noun

mama

1. a male

Maranao

Etymology

From ma- +‎ ama.

Adjective

mama

1. male (clarification of this definition is needed)

Noun

mama

1. a male

Martuthunira

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mama/

Noun

mama

1. paternal uncle (one’s father’s brother)

References

• Dench, Alan Charles. 1995. Martuthunira: A Language of the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. Series C-125.

Mauritian Creole

Etymology 1

From French maman.

Noun

mama

1. mother

Etymology 2

From Hindi मामा (māmā) and Marathi मामा (māmā).

Noun

mama

1. uncle

   Synonyms: chacha, tonton

References

• Baker, Philip & Hookoomsing, Vinesh Y. 1987. Dictionnaire de créole mauricien. Morisyen – English – Français

Mòcheno

Etymology

Possibly derived from Middle High German muome, from Old High German muoma, from Proto-West Germanic *mōmā (“mama, mother”), from Proto-Germanic *mōmǭ (“mama, mother; aunt, auntie”). Cognate with German Mama, English mama.

Noun

mama f

1. mother

References

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

Mwani

Noun

mama

1. mother

Nigerian Pidgin

Noun

mama

1. mother

Old Galician-Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmama/
• Rhymes: -ama
• Hyphenation: ma‧ma

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin mamma.

Noun

mama f (plural mamas)

1. breast
2. teat; udder

Related terms

Descendants

• Galician: mama
• Portuguese: mama

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

mama

1. inflection of mamar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

References

• Antônio Geraldo da Cunha (2020–2025) “mama”, in Vocabulário histórico-cronológico do Português Medieval (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Fundação Casa de Rui Barbosa

Old Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *màma. First attested in the fifteenth century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /mama/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /mama/

Noun

mama f

1. (attested in Masovia) mom, mother
2. wet nurse, nurse

Derived terms

Descendants

• Polish: mama
• Silesian: mama

References

• Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “mama”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN
• Mańczak, Witold (2017) “mama”, in Polski słownik etymologiczny (in Polish), Kraków: Polska Akademia Umiejętności, →ISBN
• Bańkowski, Andrzej (2000) “mama”, in Etymologiczny słownik języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish)
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “mama”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Old Slovak

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *mama.

Noun

mama f

1. mom, mother

Descendants

• Slovak: mama

References

• Majtán, Milan et al., editors (1991–2008), “mama”, in Historický slovník slovenského jazyka [Historical Dictionary of the Slovak Language] (in Slovak), volumes 1–7 (A – Ž), Bratislava: VEDA, →OCLC

Pali

Alternative forms

Pronoun

mama

1. genitive/dative singular of ahaṃ (“me”)

Panyjima

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mama/

Noun

mama

1. father

   Synonym: papu

2. paternal uncle (one’s father’s brother)

References

• Dench, Alan (1991). "Panyjima", in R.M.W. Dixon and Barry J. Blake: The Handbook of Australian Languages, Volume 4. Melbourne: Oxford University Press Australia, 125–244.

Papiamentu

Etymology

From Dutch mama.

Noun

mama

1. mother

Pitjantjatjara

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɐmɐ]

Noun

mama

1. father

   Synonym: punari

2. father’s older brother or close male friend; uncle

   Synonym: mama puḻka

3. god

Derived terms

Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish mama.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ama
• Syllabification: ma‧ma

Noun

mama f (diminutive (dialectal) mamula)

1. mum, mom, mother
2. (Middle Polish) wetnurse

   Synonym: mamka

3. (Middle Polish) nurse, caregiver

   Synonym: piastunka

Declension

Derived terms

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), mama is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 0 times in scientific texts, 0 times in news, 1 time in essays, 17 times in fiction, and 93 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 111 times, making it the 552nd most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.

References

Further reading

• mama in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• mama in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “mama”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• Magdalena Majdak (19.02.2015) “MAMA”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century]
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “mama”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “mama”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1902), “mama”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 2, Warsaw, page 868
• mama in Narodowy Fotokorpus Języka Polskiego

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• mamma (pre-standardization spelling)

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -ɐmɐ, (Brazil) -ɐ̃mɐ
• Hyphenation: ma‧ma

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese mama, from Latin mamma. Compare Galician mama.

Noun

mama f (plural mamas)

1. (human) breast, bosom
2. (animal) udder, teat

Derived terms

Related terms

Etymology 2

Verb

mama

1. inflection of mamar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Quechua

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.ma/

Noun

mama

1. mother

   Coordinate terms: yaya, tayta, tata (“father”)

2. madam, lady

   Synonym: wayru

   Coordinate terms: tayta, tata (“mister”)

3. (geology) vein
4. (mathematics) matrix

Declension

Derived terms

See also

• ayllu

Rapa Nui

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *mamaq.

Verb

mama

1. to chew

Romanian

Noun

mama

1. definite nominative/accusative singular of mamă

Rwanda-Rundi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *mààmá.

Noun

māmá class 1a (plural bāmâmá class 2a)

1. my mother
2. my maternal aunt

See also

• nyoko (“your mother”)
• nyina (“his/her mother”)
• data (“my father”)

Sardinian

Etymology

From Latin mamma, from Ancient Greek μάμμη (mámmē).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmama/

Noun

mama f (plural mamas) (Limba Sarda Comuna)

1. mother

See also

• babbu
• tzia

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mâma/
• Hyphenation: ma‧ma

Noun

mȁma f (Cyrillic spelling ма̏ма)

1. mom

Declension

Silesian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish mama.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.ma/
• Rhymes: -ama
• Syllabification: ma‧ma

Noun

mama f

1. (colloquial) mom, mother

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:muter

   Coordinate terms: see Thesaurus:fater

Declension

Related terms

Further reading

• mama in dykcjonorz.eu
• mama in silling.org

Slovak

Etymology

Inherited from Old Slovak mama, from Proto-Slavic *mama, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *mā́ˀmāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂-méh₂, a reduplication of *méh₂- - the root of *méh₂tēr (“mother”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmama]

Noun

mama f (genitive singular mamy, nominative plural mamy, genitive plural mám, declension pattern of žena)

1. mama

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• “mama”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin mamma.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmama/ [ˈma.ma]
• Rhymes: -ama
• Syllabification: ma‧ma

Noun

mama f (plural mamas)

1. (anatomy) mamma, breast

   Synonyms: pecho, seno

Related terms

Verb

mama

1. inflection of mamar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “mama”, 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

Sranan Tongo

Alternative forms

• m'ma
• mma

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mːa/, /maˈma/

Noun

mama

1. mother
2. (figuratively, in compounds) origin, source, centre, basis

Derived terms

Swahili

Pronunciation

Noun

mama class IX (plural mama class X)

1. mother (female parent)

   Coordinate term: baba

2. Respectful term of address for an older woman.

Derived terms

• mama mkwe (“mother-in-law”)
• mama wa kambo (“stepmother”)
• mama mboga (“female vegetable hawker”)
• mama ntilie (“female food hawker”)
• mama samaki (“female fish hawker”)
• mama mdogo (“mother's younger sister”)
• mama mkubwa (“mother's elder sister”)

Tagalog

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *mama, from Proto-Austronesian *mamah (“father’s brother”). Also possibly borrowed from Sanskrit माम (māma) or from Tamil மாமா (māmā). Compare Chamorro måma' and Malay mamak.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈmamaʔ/ [ˈmaː.mɐʔ]
• Rhymes: -amaʔ
• Syllabification: ma‧ma

Noun

mamà (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜋ)

1. a term used in referring to, or in addressing, a male unknown to the speaker

   Synonyms: mang, manong

2. (archaic, familiar) uncle (parent's younger brother)
3. (archaic, familiar, childish) any relative of the father or mother

Derived terms

• mang

See also

• ale

Etymology 2

Each pronunciation has a different source:

• /maˈma/ from Spanish mamá, adapted from French maman
• /ma.ma/ from Hokkien 媽媽 / 妈妈 (mâ-mâ)
• /ˈmama/ from English mama / momma

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /maˈma/ [mɐˈma] (Spanish pronunciation)
    • Rhymes: -a
  • IPA^(key): /mama/ [ma.ma] (Hokkien pronunciation)
    • Rhymes: -ama
  • IPA^(key): /ˈmama/ [ˈmaː.mɐ] (English pronunciation)
    • Rhymes: -ama
• Syllabification: ma‧ma

Noun

mama or mamá (masculine papa, Baybayin spelling ᜋᜋ) (colloquial, familiar, childish)

1. mum, mom

   Synonyms: ma, ina, nanay, inay, nay, inang, nanang

Derived terms

Etymology 3

From Proto-Philippine *mamaq, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *mamaq (“chew without intending to swallow, as betel nut; premasticate food to give to an infant; premasticated food”). Compare Javanese ꦩꦩꦃ (mamah) and Malay mamah.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /maˈmaʔ/ [mɐˈmaʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ
• Syllabification: ma‧ma

Noun

mamâ (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜋ)

1. betelnut chewing

Derived terms

See also

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /maˈmaʔ/ [mɐˈmaʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ
• Syllabification: ma‧ma

Noun

mamâ (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜋ) (obsolete)

1. name of the Baybayin letter ᜋ (ma), corresponding to "ma"

See also

• ma

Further reading

• “mama”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• San Buena Ventura, Fr. Pedro de (1613) Juan de Silva, editor, Vocabulario de lengua tagala: El romance castellano puesto primero‎^[3], La Noble Villa de Pila
  • page 173: “Comer) Mama (pc) buyo”
  • page 400: “M) Mama (pc) letra del .A.b.c. Tagalog .|. mama yaon .|. ᜋ . ſumulat ca nang mama nang iniõg ſulat, eſcriue la. M. de bueſtra eſcritura, yſulat mo aco nang mama, eſcriueme vna .M.”
  • page 575: “Tio) Mama (pp) llamandole el ſobrino y como en Eſpañol vſamos llamar tio al hias viejo, tambien lo vſan eſtos y diçen, mama ay, ola tio, yaring ſi mama a, eſte mi tio.”

Anagrams

• amam

Tetum

Verb

mama

1. to chew betel

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English mama.

Noun

mama

1. mother

   Antonym: papa

Derived terms

• mama karim

Tumbuka

Noun

mama class 1a (plural ŵamama class 2)

1. mother, mom

Coordinate terms

• dada

Turkish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mɑˈmɑ]
• Hyphenation: ma‧ma

Noun

mama (definite accusative mamayı, plural mamalar)

1. baby food
2. pet food
3. food (in child's language)

Declension

Turkmen

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [maːma]

Etymology 1

Noun

mama

1. maternal grandmother
2. term of address for old women

Etymology 2

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

Noun

mama

1. smallpox

   Synonym: jäjek

Upper Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmama/

Noun

mama f (diminutive mamička or mamimka)

1. mama, mommy, mum

Declension

Related terms

Venda

Verb

mama

1. to suck

Venetan

Etymology

From Latin mamma. Compare Italian mamma.

Noun

mama f (plural mame)

1. mother
2. mum, mummy

Wanyi

Etymology

Compare Guugu Yimidhirr mayi.

Noun

mama

1. (vegetable-based) food

References

• Mary Laughren, Rob Pensalfini, Tom Mylne, Accounting for verb-initial order in an Australian language, in Verb First: On the syntax of verb-initial languages (2005)

West Makian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.ma/

Noun

mama

1. mother

   Synonym: mamu

Usage notes

The terms mama and mamu are used for referring to a mother, whereas the term yaya is used for addressing one's mother.

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[4], Pacific linguistics

Ye'kwana

Alternative forms

• maama (Caura River dialect)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mama]

Noun

mama

1. (Cunucunuma River dialect) first-person possessed form of nü

Yoruba

Alternative forms

• mọ̀mọ́

Etymology

Probably influenced by English mama, may have existed before contact with English though. Possibly a corruption of mọ̀mọ́.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mà.má/

Noun

màmá

1. mother

   Synonyms: iye, ìyá, mọ́mì, yèyé, èye

2. a term of endearment or respect for an older woman or female relative

   Synonyms: iye, ìyá, mọ́mì, yèyé

Coordinate terms

• bàbá

Source: wiktionary.org