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mama

/ˈmɑmɑ/
/mɑˈmɑ/
IPA guide

Other forms: mamas

Mama is a kind of nickname for your mother, another way to say "mom" or "mommy." A very common first word for babies in nearly every country is mama.

The ma sound shows up very early in a baby's babbling, and experts believe that's where mama originated. Nearly every Indo-European language has a word for "mother" that sounds like mama, including the Latin mamma, the Greek mamme, and the Persian mama. Plenty of older kids and even adults use the word too, as a fond nickname for their mother.

Definitions of mama
  1. noun
    informal terms for a mother
    synonyms: ma, mamma, mammy, mom, momma, mommy, mum, mummy
    see moresee less
    type of:
    female parent, mother
    a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
Pronunciation
US
/ˈmɑmɑ/
UK
/mɑˈmɑ/
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