From earlier *máHtār, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr.
*máHtā f
- mother
- Proto-Indo-Aryan: *máHtā
- Sanskrit: मातृ (mā́tṛ, mātṛ́)
- Ardhamagadhi Prakrit:
- Assamese: মা (ma), মাও (maü)
- Bengali: মা (ma)
- Sylheti: ꠝꠣ (ma)
- Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀫𑀸𑀤𑀸 (mādā)
- Gujarati: મા (mā)
- Hindi: माँ (mā̃), मैया (maiyā), माऊ (māū)
- Punjabi: ਮਾਂ (mā̃)
- Urdu: ماں (mā̃)
- → Telugu: మాత (māta)
- Proto-Iranian: *máHtā
- Central Iranian:
- Northeastern Iranian:
- Ossetian: мад (mad)
- Sogdo-Bacterian:
- Bactrian: μαδο (mado)
- Proto-Sogdic:
- Sogdian: [Term?] (/māt/)
- Manichaean script: [Manichaean needed] (mʾt)
- Sogdian script: [script needed] (mʾth)
- Syriac script: [Syriac needed] (mʾt), [Syriac needed] (mʾth)
- Southeastern Iranian:
- Pashto: مور (mor), مېر (mer)
- Proto-Shughni-Yazghulami-Munji:
- Proto-Shughni-Yazghulami:
- Shughni: [script needed] (mad)
- Northwestern Iranian:
- Baluchi: مات (mát)
- Kurdish:
- Northern Kurdish: mak, marî
- Central Kurdish: ماک (mak)
- Southern Kurdish: ماێەر (maÿer) (perhaps influenced by Median or Old Azari)
- Proto-Medo-Parthian:
- Caspian:
- Gilaki: مر (mar), مار (mār)
- Old Mazanderani: مار (mār)
- Gorgani مار (mār)
- Old Median:
- Kermanic:
- Zoroastrian Dari: مذر (mozer), مار (mâr)
- Proto-Tatic:
- Talysh:
- Arabic script: ما (mā), موئه (mua)
- Latin script: ma (mā), mua
- Old Tati:
- Old Azari: مادر (mādar)
- Eshtehardi: مار (mār)
- Ramandi: مایه (māya)
- Parthian: [Term?] (/māδ(ar)/)
- Manichaean script: [Manichaean needed] (mʾd), [Manichaean needed] (mʾdr)
- Proto-Zaza-Gorani:
- Southwestern Iranian:
- Old Persian: 𐎶𐎠𐎫𐎠 (m-a-t-a /mātā/)
- Middle Persian: [Term?] (/mād(ar)/)
- Inscriptional Pahlavi script: 𐭬𐭠𐭲𐭥 (mʾtʿ)
- Manichaean script: [Manichaean needed] (mʾd), [Manichaean needed] (mʾdr)
- Persian: مادر (mâdar)
- → Urdu: مادر (mādar)
- → Hindi: मादर (mādar)