different between mother vs mama

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?m?ð?(?)/, [?m?ð?(?)]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?m?ð?/
• Rhymes: -?ð?(?)
• Hyphenation: moth?er

Etymology 1

From Middle English moder, from Old English m?dor, from Proto-Germanic *m?d?r, from Proto-Indo-European *méh?t?r. Superseded non-native Middle English mere (“mother”) borrowed from Old French mere (“mother”). Doublet of mater.

Alternative forms

• mither (Scotland and Northern England)

Noun

mother (plural mothers)

1. A (human) female who has given birth to a baby
2. A human female who parents an adopted or fostered child
3. A human female who donates a fertilized egg or donates a body cell which has resulted in a clone.
4. A pregnant female, possibly as a shortened form of mother-to-be.
   • 1991, Susan Faludi, The Undeclared War Against American Women:

     The antiabortion iconography in the last decade featured the fetus but never the mother.

5. A female parent of an animal.

6. (figuratively) A female ancestor.
   • 1525, William Tyndale, Bible, Genesis, 3, xx:

     And Ada^[Adam] called his wyfe Heua^[Eve] because she was the mother of all that lyveth

7. (figuratively) A source or origin.
   • 1606, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 3, 1866, George Steevens (editor), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, page 278:

     Alas, poor country: / Almost afraid to know itself! It cannot / Be call'd our mother, but our grave:

   • 1844, Thomas Arnold, Fragment on the Church, Volume 1, page 17:

     But one in the place of God and not God, is as it were a falsehood; it is the mother falsehood from which all idolatry is derived.

8. Something that is the greatest or most significant of its kind. (See mother of all.)
   • 1991, January 17, Saddam Hussein, Broadcast on Baghdad state radio.

     The great duel, the mother of all battles has begun.

9. (when followed by a surname) A title of respect for one's mother-in-law.

10. (figuratively) Any elderly woman, especially within a particular community.
11. (figuratively) Any person or entity which performs mothering.
    • Judges 5:7, KJV.

      The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.

    • Galatians 4:26, KJV.

      Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

12. The principal piece of an astrolabe, into which the others are fixed.
13. The female superior or head of a religious house; an abbess, etc.
14. (obsolete) Hysterical passion; hysteria; the uterus.
    • 1665, Robert Lovel, Pambotanologia sive Enchiridion botanicum, page 484:

      T.V. dicusseth tumors and mollifieth them, helps inflammations, rising of the mother and the epilepsie being burnt.

    • 1666, Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physitian Enlarged, page 49:

      The Root hereof taken with Zedoary and Angelic?, or without them, helps the rising of the Mother.

    • 1979, Thomas R. Forbes, The changing face of death in London, in Charles Webster (editor), Health, Medicine and Mortality in the Sixteenth Century (1979), page 128:

      St Botolph's parish records ascribed three deaths to 'mother', an old name for the uterus.

Synonyms

• (one’s female parent): See also Thesaurus:mother
• (most significant thing): father, grandfather, granddaddy
• (of or pertaining to the mother, such as metropolis): metro-

Antonyms

• (with regards to gender) father
• (with regards to ancestry) daughter, son, child, offspring

Hypernyms

• (a female parent): parent

Coordinate terms

• (a female parent): father

Related terms

Derived terms

Translations

See mother/translations § Noun.

Etymology 2

From Middle English modren, from the noun (see above).

Verb

mother (third-person singular simple present mothers, present participle mothering, simple past and past participle mothered)

1. (chiefly transitive) To give birth to or produce (as its female parent) a child. (Compare father.)
   • 1998, Nina Revoyr, The Necessary Hunger: A Novel, Macmillan (?ISBN), page 101:

     Q's sister, Debbie, had mothered two kids by the time she was twenty, with neither of the fathers in sight.

   • 2010, Lynette Joseph-Bani, The Biblical Journey of Slavery: From Egypt to the Americas, AuthorHouse (?ISBN), page 51:

     Zilpah, Leah's maid, mothered two sons for Jacob, Gad and Asher. Leah became pregnant once more and had two more sons, Issachar, and Zebulun, and a daughter, Dinah, thus Leah had seven children for Jacob.

2. (transitive) To treat as a mother would be expected to treat her child; to nurture.
   • c. 1900, O. Henry, An Adjustment of Nature

     She had seen fewer years than any of us, but she was of such superb Evehood and simplicity that she mothered us from the beginning.

Translations

References

• American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company 2003.

Etymology 3

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *muþraz (“sediment”), perhaps through intermediate Middle Dutch modder (“filth, dregs”).

Noun

mother (plural mothers)

1. A stringy, mucilaginous or film- or membrane-like substance (consisting of acetobacters) which develops in fermenting alcoholic liquids (such as wine, or cider), and turns the alcohol into acetic acid with the help of oxygen from the air.

Verb

mother (third-person singular simple present mothers, present participle mothering, simple past and past participle mothered)

1. (transitive) To cause to contain mother (“that substance which develops in fermenting alcohol and turns it into vinegar”).

   mothered oil / vinegar / wine

2. (intransitive, of an alcohol) To develop mother.

Etymology 4

Clipping of motherfucker

Alternative forms

• mutha

Noun

mother (plural mothers)

1. (euphemistic, mildly vulgar, slang) Motherfucker.
2. (euphemistic, colloquial) A striking example.

Synonyms

• MF, mofo, motherfucker, mutha

Translations

Etymology 5

Coined from moth by analogy to mouser.

Pronunciation

• see moth-er

Noun

mother (plural mothers)

1. Alternative form of moth-er

References

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “mother”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• thermo-

Middle English

Noun

mother

1. (Late Middle English) Alternative form of moder

English

Alternative forms

• mamma, momma

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (General American) enPR: mä?m?, IPA^(key): /?m?m?/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /m??m??/
• Rhymes: -??m?

Noun

mama (plural mamas)

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

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• amma, ma'am

'Are'are

Noun

mama

1. father

References

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

Amis

Noun

mama

1. father

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).

Azerbaijani

Noun

mama (definite accusative maman?, plural mamalar)

1. (dialectal)paternal aunt

   Synonym: bibi

2. mom

   Synonym: ana

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

Noun

mama (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

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin mamma.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /?ma.m?/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /?ma.ma/

Noun

mama f (plural mames)

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

Derived terms

• càncer de mama (“breast cancer”)

Related terms

Further reading

• “mama” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “mama” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “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.

Cebuano

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. Sometimes used in reference to a pregnant female, possibly as a shortened form of mother-to-be

   Synonyms: ina, inahan, nanay

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

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): /?m?ma?/
• (Belgium) IPA^(key): /m??ma?/
• Rhymes: -a?

Noun

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

1. mama, mother

   Synonyms: ma, mam

   Synonyms: moeder, moe, (Flemish) moeke

Alternative forms

• mamma

References

Ewe

Noun

mama

1. grandmother

Fijian

Noun

mama

1. ring (for one's finger)

Galician

Etymology

From Latin mamma.

Noun

mama f (plural mamas)

1. (anatomy) mamma, breast

Related terms

• mamar
• mamífero

Verb

mama

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

Garo

Etymology

Likely from Bengali ???? (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

Noun

m??ma f (possessed form m??mar?)

1. mother

   Synonym: uwa

Noun

m??ma m (possessed form m??man)

1. breast

   Synonym: nono

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?m?m?]
• Hyphenation: ma?ma
• Rhymes: -m?

Noun

mama (plural mamák)

1. mom, mum

   Synonyms: anya, anyu, édesanya, anyuka, anyuci

   Coordinate term: papa

2. (dialectal) grandmom

Declension

Derived terms

Ido

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?mama/

Noun

mama (plural mamai)

1. mama, mom, mommy, mum

   Synonym: matro

   Coordinate terms: papa, patro

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

• "mama" in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019) , “mama”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Entries containing “mama” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

Istriot

Etymology

From Latin mamma.

Noun

mama f

1. mom, mamma, mother

See also

• mare

Japanese

Romanization

mama

1. R?maji transcription of ??
2. R?maji transcription of ??

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese mama.

Noun

mama

1. bosom
2. breast of a woman

Krisa

Pronoun

mama

1. you

Laboya

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?ma?ma]

Etymology 1

Verb

mama

1. to chew betel

Etymology 2

Noun

mama

1. to mother

References

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

Latgalian

Etymology

Originally from baby talk, possibly through or influenced by other languages. Compare Lithuanian mama, Russian ???? (mama) and English mama.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?mama/
• Hyphenation: ma?ma

Noun

mama f (diminutive mame?a)

1. (colloquial) mum, mummy

Declension

Synonyms

• (more formal) muote

Coordinate terms

• t?te (“dad”)

References

• A. Andronov; L. Leikuma (2008) Latgal?šu-Latv?šu-Kr?vu sarunu vuordineica, Lvava, ?ISBN, page 10

Lithuanian

Noun

mamà f (plural mãmos) stress pattern 4

1. mother

Declension

Related terms

• mamýt?, mam?l? (diminutive)

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?mama]

Noun

mama f (diminutive maminka)

1. mother, mom

Declension

Further reading

• mama in Ernst Muka/Mucke (St. Petersburg and Prague 1911–28): S?ownik dolnoserbskeje r?cy a jeje nar?cow / Wörterbuch der nieder-wendischen Sprache und ihrer Dialekte. Reprinted 2008, Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag
• mama in Manfred Starosta (1999): Dolnoserbsko-nimski s?ownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag.

Maquiritari

Noun

mama

1. mother (used when addressing one’s mother, but not when referring to her)

References

• Ed. Key, Mary Ritchie and Comrie, Bernard. The Intercontinental Dictionary Series, Carib (De'kwana).

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 ???? (m?m?) and Marathi ???? (m?m?).

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 *m?m? (“mama, mother”), from Proto-Germanic *m?m? (“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.
• “mama” in Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Ünsarne Börtar [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Nigerian Pidgin

Noun

mama

1. mother

Pali

Alternative forms

Pronoun

mama

1. genitive/dative singular of aha? (“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): [?m?m?]

Noun

mama

1. father

   Synonym: punari

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

   Synonym: mama pu?ka

3. god

Derived terms

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ma.ma/

Noun

mama f

1. mum

Declension

Related terms

Further reading

• mama in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin mamma. Compare Italian mammella, French mamelle.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /?m?.m?/
• Hyphenation: ma?ma
• Rhymes: -ama

Noun

mama f (plural mamas)

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

Verb

mama

1. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present indicative of mamar
2. second-person singular (tu, sometimes used with você) affirmative imperative of mamar

Quechua

Noun

mama

1. mother
2. madam, lady
3. (figuratively) nest, home
4. (geology) vein
5. (mathematics) matrix

Declension

Derived terms

• jatun mama
• mama qucha

See also

• tayta

Romanian

Noun

mama f

1. definite nominative/accusative singular of mam?

Rwanda-Rundi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *mààmá.

Noun

m?má 1a (plural b?mâmá 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 ????? (mámm?).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?mama/

Noun

mama f (plural mamas) (Limba Sarda Comuna)

1. mother

See also

• babbu
• tzia

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

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

Noun

m?ma f (Cyrillic spelling ?????)

1. mom

Declension

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?mama/

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 Slovak dictionaries at korpus.sk

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin mamma.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?mama/, [?ma.ma]

Noun

mama f (plural mamas)

1. (anatomy) mamma, breast

Related terms

Verb

mama

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of mamar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of mamar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of mamar.

Swahili

Pronunciation

Noun

mama (n class, plural mama)

1. mother (female parent)

   Coordinate term: baba

2. Respectful term of address for an older woman.

Derived terms

• mama mboga (“female vegetable hawker”)
• mama ntilie (“female food hawker”)
• mama samaki (“female fish hawker”)

Tagalog

Pronunciation 1

• IPA^(key): /?ma.ma?/
• Hyphenation: ma?ma

Noun

mamà

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

   Synonyms: mang, manong

Pronunciation 2

• Hyphenation: ma?ma
• IPA^(key): /ma.?ma/
• IPA^(key): /ma.ma/
• IPA^(key): /?ma.ma/

Etymology

/ma.?ma/ from Spanish mamá, adapted from French maman. /ma.ma/ from Hokkien ??. /?ma.ma/ from English mama / momma.

Noun

mama (masculine papa)

1. (colloquial, familiar, childish) mum, mom

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

2. sibling of parent, younger than father or mother; any relative of the father or mother

Pronunciation 3

• IPA^(key): /ma.?ma?/
• Hyphenation: ma?ma

Noun

mamâ

1. betel chewing

Related terms

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English mama.

Noun

mama

1. mother

   Antonym: papa

Derived terms

• mama karim

Tumbuka

Noun

mama 1a (plural ?amama 2)

1. mother, mom

Coordinate terms

• dada

Turkish

Noun

mama (definite accusative mamay?, plural mamalar)

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

Declension

Upper Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?mama]

Noun

mama f (diminutive mami?ka or mamimka)

1. mama, mommy, mum

Declension

Related terms

Venda

Verb

mama

1. to suck

Venetian

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)

Yoruba

Alternative forms

• m??m??

Noun

màmá

1. mother

Coordinate terms

• baba