Etymology: Origin uncertain, but probably ultimately < a (reduplicated) syllable /ma/ which is characteristic of early infantile vocalization and regarded by some as a development of the sound sometimes made by a baby when breastfeeding. Compare mam n.¹, mammy n., and ma n.³, and also mum n.², mummy n.², mom n., momma n., mommy n., maum n., mauma n.: these forms are probably all ultimately related, perhaps all originating as variants of forms in -a-, although the exact relationship is unclear.The extent of any influence of Middle French, French maman (13th cent. in Old French) or Middle French mamme (16th cent.) on this word is uncertain; of these, mamme is probably a direct descendant of classical Latin mamma nurse, mother, grandmother, breast ( > Italian mamma (12th cent.), Spanish mama (11th cent.; in 18th cent. as mamá after French maman ), Catalan mama ); Old French maman may represent an independent formation or, perhaps more likely, a different development of classical Latin mamma with further reduplication.Classical Latin mamma is probably cognate with ancient Greek μάμμη mother, mother's breast, grandmother, Russian mama mama (with cognates in most Slavonic languages, e.g. Polish mama ), Albanian mëmë mother, Welsh mam mother, and perhaps more remotely with forms which may be from variants of the same base; see also mother n.¹ However, given that all of these forms are generally taken to have their origin in the same infantile vocalization, the possibility of independent formation cannot be ruled out in any given instance. Quot. 1555 at sense 1a closely translates the Latin text of Peter Martyr of Angleria, ‘toa toa, id est, mama mama clamitantes’, although the subsequent clause (beginning ‘as chyldren..’) is Eden's addition. The spelling mamma may be after Latin or Italian, or may record a form stressed on the first syllable, e.g. /ˈmamə/ (corresponding to U.S. /ˈmɑmə/); stress on the second syllable (already evident in quots. 1691 at sense 1a, 1710 at sense 1a, and perhaps influenced by French maman ) has been regarded in British English as an indicator of relatively high social class (see note on sense 1a), but this distinction has not been made in American English. The spelling mama became increasingly common after the 18th cent., and (though described as ‘rare’ by N.E.D. in 1904), occurred much more frequently than mamma during most of the 20th cent. in both British and (especially) U.S. English. Compare German Mama, attested from 17th cent. as an adaptation of French maman, and occurring similarly in forms with stress on either syllable.

Etymology: < Zulu umama and Xhosa umama mother. Compare mama n.¹In some uses the word is distinguishable from mama n.¹ only by pronunciation and cultural context.

Etymology: < mama n.¹