мама

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mama"

Belarusian

Alternative forms

• mama — Łacinka (Belarusian Latin alphabet)

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]

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

ма́ма • (máma) f pers (genitive ма́мы, nominative plural ма́мы, genitive plural мам)

1. mum / mom

Declension

Declension of ма́ма (pr hard fem-form accent-a)

	singular	plural
nominative	ма́ма máma	ма́мы mámy
genitive	ма́мы mámy	мам mam
dative	ма́ме mámje	ма́мам mámam
accusative	ма́му mámu	мам mam
instrumental	ма́май, ма́маю mámaj, mámaju	ма́мамі mámami
locative	ма́ме mámje	ма́мах mámax
count form	—	ма́мы1 mámy1

¹Used with the numbers 2, 3, 4 and higher numbers after 20 ending in 2, 3, and 4.

References

• “мама” in Belarusian–Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at slounik.org
• “мама”, in Skarnik's Belarusian dictionary (in Belarusian), based on Kandrat Krapiva's Explanatory Dictionary of the Belarusian Language (1977-1984)

Bulgarian

Etymology

A nursery word. From Proto-Slavic *mama, 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): [ˈmamɐ]

Noun

ма́ма • (máma) f

1. mama, mummy, mommy, mum, mom

Declension

Declension of ма́ма

	singular	plural
indefinite	ма́ма máma	ма́ми mámi
definite	ма́мата mámata	ма́мите mámite
vocative form	ма́мо, ма́ме mámo, máme	ма́ми mámi
dative form	ма́ми1 mámi1	—

¹Dialectal.

References

• “мама”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “мама”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010

Macedonian

Etymology

A nursery word. From Proto-Slavic *mama, 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]

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

мама • (mama) f (relational adjective мамин, diminutive маме or мамица or мамичка or мамиче)

1. mom

Declension

Declension of мама

	singular
indefinite	мама
definite unspecified	—
definite proximal	—
definite distal	—
vocative	мамо

Old Ruthenian

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic *ма́ма (*máma), from Proto-Slavic *màma, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *mā́ˀmāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂-méh₂, from *méh₂-, from *méh₂tēr (“mother”). Cognate with Russian ма́ма (máma).

Noun

мама • (mama) f

1. mama, mummy, mommy, mum, mom (mother)

Related terms

• ма́мка f (mámka)

 

Descendants

• Belarusian: ма́ма (máma)
• Carpathian Rusyn: ма́ма (máma)
• Ukrainian: ма́ма (máma)

Further reading

• Bulyka, A. M., editor (1998), “мама”, in Гістарычны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Historical Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), numbers 17 (лесничий – местский), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka, →ISBN, page 252
• Chikalo, M. I., editor (2017), “мама”, in Словник української мови XVI – I пол. XVII ст. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: 16ᵗʰ – 1ˢᵗ half of 17ᵗʰ c.] (in Ukrainian), numbers 17 (м – моавитѧнка), Lviv: KIUS, →ISBN, page 41

Russian

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): [ˈmamə]

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

ма́ма • (máma) f anim or f inan (genitive ма́мы, nominative plural ма́мы, genitive plural мам, diminutive ма́мочка or ма́менька)

1. mama, mummy, mommy, mum, mom (mother)

   Я Том, а э́то моя́ ма́ма. ― Ja Tom, a éto mojá máma. ― I am Tom and this is my mom.

2. (computing slang) motherboard
3. (figuratively) female socket

Declension

Declension of ма́ма (bian fem-form hard-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	ма́ма máma	ма́мы mámy
genitive	ма́мы mámy	ма́м mám
dative	ма́ме máme	ма́мам mámam
accusative animate inanimate	ма́му mámu	ма́м mám
		ма́мы mámy
instrumental	ма́мой, ма́мою mámoj, mámoju	ма́мами mámami
prepositional	ма́ме máme	ма́мах mámax
vocative	ма́м* mám*

^* Colloquial.

Pre-reform declension of ма́ма (bian fem-form hard-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	ма́ма máma	ма́мы mámy
genitive	ма́мы mámy	ма́мъ mám
dative	ма́мѣ mámě	ма́мамъ mámam
accusative animate inanimate	ма́му mámu	ма́мъ mám
		ма́мы mámy
instrumental	ма́мой, ма́мою mámoj, mámoju	ма́мами mámami
prepositional	ма́мѣ mámě	ма́махъ mámax

Synonyms

• мать (matʹ)
• ма́мочка (mámočka)
• ма́менька (mámenʹka)
• мама́ша (mamáša)

Related terms

• ма́мин (mámin)

Descendants

• → Ingrian: mama

Serbo-Croatian

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): /mâma/
• Hyphenation: ма‧ма

Noun

ма̏ма f (Latin spelling mȁma)

1. mom

Declension

Declension of мама

	singular	plural
nominative	мама	маме
genitive	маме	мама
dative	мами	мамама
accusative	маму	маме
vocative	мамо	маме
locative	мами	мамама
instrumental	мамом	мамама

Ukrainian

Etymology

A nursery word. From Proto-Slavic *mama, 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): [ˈmamɐ]

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

ма́ма • (máma) f pers (genitive ма́ми, nominative plural ма́ми or мами́, genitive plural мам or мамі́в)

1. mama, mummy, mom, ma

Declension

Declension of ма́ма (pers hard fem-form accent-a/c)

	singular	plural
nominative	ма́ма máma	ма́ми, мами́ mámy, mamý
genitive	ма́ми mámy	мам, мамі́в mam, mamív
dative	ма́мі mámi	ма́мам, мама́м mámam, mamám
accusative	ма́му mámu	мам, мамі́в mam, mamív
instrumental	ма́мою mámoju	ма́мами mámamy
locative	ма́мі mámi	ма́мах, мама́х mámax, mamáx
vocative	ма́мо mámo	ма́ми, мами́ mámy, mamý

References

• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “мама”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• “мама”, in Горох – Словозміна [Horokh – Inflection] (in Ukrainian)