ماما

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "mama"

Arabic

Etymology

From baby talk.

Pronunciation

Noun

مَامَا • (māmā) f

  1. (childish, familiar) mum, mummy, mama
    تُحَضِّرُ مَامَا أَفْضَلَ كَعْكَةٍ بِٱلشُّوكُولَاتَةِ.
    tuḥaḍḍiru māmā ʔafḍala kaʕkatin bi-š-šukulātati.
    Mom prepares the best chocolate cake.

Declension

Declension of noun مَامَا (māmā)
Singular singular invariable
Indefinite Definite Construct
Informal مَامَا
māmā 		الْمَامَا
al-māmā 		مَامَا
māmā
Nominative مَامَا
māmā 		الْمَامَا
al-māmā 		مَامَا
māmā
Accusative مَامَا
māmā 		الْمَامَا
al-māmā 		مَامَا
māmā
Genitive مَامَا
māmā 		الْمَامَا
al-māmā 		مَامَا
māmā

See also

Baluchi

Etymology

Borrowed from Urdu مَامَا (māmā), ultimately Derived from Proto-Dravidian *māma.

Noun

ماما • (mámá)

  1. maternal uncle (some dialects)

See also

Brahui

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Dravidian *māma.

Noun

مَامَا (māmā)

  1. maternal uncle

Hijazi Arabic

Etymology

From baby talk.

Pronunciation

Noun

ماما • (māma) f

  1. mum, mom
    Synonyms: أم (umm), والدة (wālda)

Pashto

Etymology

Borrowed from Urdu مَامَا (māmā), ultimately Derived from Proto-Dravidian *māma.

Pronunciation

Noun

ماما • (mâmâ) m

  1. maternal uncle

Declension

declension of ماما
singular plural
direct ماما
(mâmâ) 		ماماګان
(mâmâgān)
oblique ماما
(mâmâ) 		ماماګانو
(mâmâgāno)
vocative ماما
(mâmâ) 		ماماګانو
(mâmâgāno)

Persian

Etymology 1

Akin to Pashto, Baluchi, and Urdu ماما (māmā), as well as Sanskrit and Hindi मामा (māmā). All with the same meaning. Ultimately derived from Proto-Dravidian *māma.

Pronunciation

Readings
Dari reading? māmā(y)

Noun

Dari ماما
Iranian Persian دایی
Tajik тағо

ماما • (māmā) (plural ماما‌ها (māmā-hā)) (Dari)

  1. (chiefly Dari) maternal uncle
    Synonym: دایی (dâyi)
    Coordinate terms: عمو ('amu), کاکا (kâkâ), کاکو (kâko), (archaic) افدر (afdar)
Inflection
    Basic forms of ماما (māmā)
(Classical and Dari Persian)
singular plural
bare ماما
(māmā́)
مامای △
(māmā́y) 		ماماها
(māmā-hā́)
مامایا △
(māmāy-yā́)
definitive direct object مامارا
(māmā́ rā)
مامای‌ره △
(māmā́y ra) 		ماماها را
(māmā-hā́ rā)
مامایاره △
(māmāy-yā́ ra)
izāfa مامای
(māmā́-yi) 		ماماهای
(māmā-hā́-yi)
مامایای △
(māmāy-yā́-yi)
marked indefinite / relative definite مامایی
(māmā́-yē) 		ماماهایی
(māmā-hā́-yē)
مامایایی △
(māmāy-yā́-yē)
△ Colloquial Dari.
    Possessive forms of ماما (māmā)
singular plural
1st person singular
(“my”) 		مامایم
(māmā́yam) 		ماماهایم
(māmā-hā́yam)
مامایام △
(māmāy-yā́-am)
2nd person singular
(“your”) 		مامایت
(māmā́yat) 		ماماهایت
(māmā-hā́yat)
مامایات △
(māmāy-yā́t)
3rd person singular
(“his, her, its”) 		مامایش
(māmā́yaš)
مامایْشِی △
(māmā́yšī) 		ماماهایش
(māmā-hā́yaš)
مامایاش △
(māmāy-yā́š)
1st plural
(“our”) 		مامایمان
(māmā́yimān) 		ماماهایمان
(māmā-hā́yimān)
مامایامان △
(māmāy-yā́mān)
2nd plural
(“your”) 		مامایتان
(māmā́yitān) 		ماماهایتان
(māmā-hā́yitān)
مامایاتان △
(māmāy-yā́tān)
3rd plural
(“their”) 		مامایشان
(māmā́yišān) 		ماماهایشان
(māmā-hā́yišān)
مامایاشان △
(māmāy-yā́šān)
△ Colloquial.

See also

  1. عمه ('amma) (paternal aunt)
  2. خاله (xâla) (maternal aunt)

Etymology 2

Noun

ماما • (mâmâ)

  1. (Iran) midwife

South Levantine Arabic

Alternative forms

Etymology

From baby talk.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mˤaː.mˤa/,
  • Audio (Ramallah):(file)

Noun

ماما • (ṃāṃa) f

  1. (childish) mom, mum, mama
  2. an affectionate form of address used by a mother to her child

See also

Urdu

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Inherited from Sanskrit माम (māma), from Proto-Dravidian *māma.

Alternative forms

Noun

ماما • (māmā) m (feminine مامی (māmī) or مُمانی (mumānī), Hindi spelling मामा)

  1. (mildly vulgar, colloquial, Hindu speech) maternal uncle
Usage notes

ماما (māmā) is considered colloquial, perhaps even impolite. It is often used by Urdu-speaking Hindus, although the term might be associated with Hindi due to it being highly colloquial. مامُوں (māmū̃) is more commonly used in Urdu.

Declension
    Declension of ماما
singular plural
direct ماما (māmā) مامے (māme)
oblique مامے (māme) ماموں (māmõ)
vocative مامے (māme) مامو (māmo)
References
  • “ماما”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
  • Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “māma”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 578

Etymology 2

From ماں (mā̃), from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀫𑀸𑀤𑀸 (mādā), from Sanskrit मातृ (mātṛ, “mother”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *máHtā, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr.

Alternative forms

Noun

ماما • (māmā) f (Hindi spelling मामा)

  1. (endearing) mum
    Synonyms: ماں (mā̃), اَمّاں (ammā̃), اَمّی (ammī)
  2. (childish) mummy
  3. a household female servant
Declension
    Declension of ماما
singular plural
direct ماما (māmā) مامائیں (māmāẽ)
oblique ماما (māmā) ماماؤں (māmāõ)
vocative ماما (māmā) ماماؤ (māmāo)

Further reading

  • “ماما”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
  • “ماما”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary , Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.
  • Fallon, Platts, Qureshi, Shakespear (2024) “ماما”, in Digital Dictionaries of South Asia [Combined Urdu Dictionaries]

Ushojo

Etymology

Borrowed from Pashto ماما (māmā), ultimately Derived from Proto-Dravidian *māma.

Noun

ماما (māmā)

  1. maternal uncle
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