Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mama

/ˈmɑmə/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.24 in modern English

Syllables
ma-ma
IPA
/ˈmɑmə/
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
2
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Synonym of mother (“a female parent”).

Canadian usage; American usage

noun

Synonym of mother (“a female parent”).

Canadian usage; American usage

noun

Synonym of mother (“a female parent”).

Canadian usage; American usage; Obsolete

noun

A lesbian partner.

noun

Used as a (respectful) term of address for a woman, especially an older one.

Informal

noun

A girlfriend.

Slang

noun

A wife.

Slang

noun

A woman regarded as sexually attractive or (derogatory) promiscuous.

Slang

Example Sentences

Etymology

The origin of the noun is uncertain; it is probably a reduplication of ma, thought to be a sound made by babies when breastfeeding. The word is possibly influenced by Middle French maman (“mother”) (modern French maman), mamme (both probably from Latin mamma (“breast; nurse; (childish) mother, mama; grandmother”), probably cognate with Ancient Greek μᾰ́μμη (mắmmē, “breast; (childish) mother, mama; (Koine) grandmother”), both possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂- (“to nurse; mama, mother”)), but this is also uncertain as all the words could have developed independently as onomatopoeias. Etymology 1, noun sense 3 (“(Caribbean) used as a term of address for a woman”) is possibly partly from a West African language; compare Akan mmá, mmaa (“woman”). The interjection and verb are derived from the noun.

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmɑmə/
  • British English: /ˈmæmə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

mamas (plural) mamma (alternative) momma (alternative) mumma (alternative) mamas (present, singular) mamaing (participle, present) mamaed (participle, past) mamaed (past)

Derived Forms

godmama grandmama ma mamahood mamaji mamarazzi mamiji mammy mauma stepmama

Phrases

baby-mama baby mama big mama crunchy mama hoochie mama mama-bear mama bear mama grizzly

Frequently Paired Words

mamasan mom mommy mother mum mummy study mama

Synonyms

mother ma mamma mom momma mommy mammy mum mummy mumma

Homonyms

momma

Rhymes With

obama drama lama momma mamma osama comma sama rama yokohama llama saitama

Questions

How do you pronounce mama?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɑmə/.
What does mama mean?
Synonym of mother (“a female parent”).
Where does mama come from?
The origin of the noun is uncertain; it is probably a reduplication of ma, thought to be a sound made by babies when breastfeeding. The word is possibly influenced by Middle French maman (“mother”) (modern French maman), mamme (both probably from Latin mamma (“breast; nurse; (childish) mother, mama; grandmother”), probably cognate with Ancient Greek μᾰ́μμη (mắmmē, “breast; (childish) mother, mama; (Koine) grandmother”), both possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂- (“to nurse; mama, mother”)), but this is also uncertain as all the words could have developed independently as onomatopoeias. Etymology 1, noun sense 3 (“(Caribbean) used as a term of address for a woman”) is possibly partly from a West African language; compare Akan mmá, mmaa (“woman”). The interjection and verb are derived from the noun.

How to pronounce mama

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mama”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɑmə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “mama”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “mama” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.