yemma

Kabyle

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Berber, from Proto-Afroasiatic *ʔim-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jəmːa/

Noun

yemma m (plural tiyemmatin)

1. (my) mother
2. term of respect when speaking to an elderly woman

Usage notes

In the singular, kinship terms ending in -a or -i are assumed to refer to a first-person singular possessor when used without affixes; for example, baba (“my father”). To refer to another possessor, a specific set of bound pronouns must be used.

Inflection

Inflection of yemma

	singular	plural
free state	yemma	tiyemmatin
annexed state	yemma	tyemmatin

References

• Association Culturelle Numidya (2025), “Amawal, dictionnaire kabyle-français en ligne”, in Amawal‎^[1], retrieved 2025
• Dallet, Jean-Marie (1982), Dictionnaire kabyle-français: parler des At Mangellat, Algérie (in French), Paris, France

Senhaja de Srair

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Berber, from Proto-Afroasiatic *ʔim-.

Noun

yemma f (usually uncountable, Tifinagh spelling ⵢⴻⵎⵎⴰ)

1. (my) mother

   Synonym: lwalida

See also

• baba (“father”)

References

• Gutova, Evgeniya; Byler, Jonathan (2025), “Senhaja de Srair - English Dictionary”, in Webonary‎^[2], retrieved 2025
• Gutova, Evgeniya (2021) Senhaja Berber Varieties: Phonology, Morphology, and Morphosyntax (Thesis)‎^[3], Paris, France: HAL

Tarifit

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Berber, from Proto-Afroasiatic *ʔim-. Cognate with Proto-Semitic *ʔimm- and Egyptian mwt.

Noun

yemma f (plural tiyemmatin, Tifinagh spelling ⵢⴻⵎⵎⴰ)

1. (my) mother

   Synonym: lwalida

See also

• baba (“father”)
• mmi (“son”)
• yeǧi (“daughter”)