Mama Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms mama American [mah-muh, muh-mah] / ˈmɑ mə, məˈmɑ / Also momma or mamma

noun

1. Informal. mother.

2. Slang.

   1. a sexually attractive, usually mature woman.

   2. one's wife.

mama British / məˈmɑː /

noun

1. old-fashioned an informal word for mother 1

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does mama mean? Mama is an informal word for mother.Mama can also be spelled momma and mamma. Mama is informal, and it’s often used by young children, much like the word mommy. Adults also sometimes use mama to refer to their mothers, especially when they have a close relationship.The word can be used as a title for one’s mother, as in You should call Mama, and as a way to address her, as in Hi, Mama—happy Mother’s Day! In these two uses, the word is usually capitalized since it’s used like a proper name.Mama can also be used as an informal way to refer to one’s mother, as in You should call your mama. Call your mama whatever you want—just remember to call her.

Etymology

Origin of mama

First recorded in 1545–55; nursery word, with parallels in other European languages, probably in part inherited or borrowed, in part newly formed; compare Latin mamma, Greek mámmē “breast, mama” ( mamma 2 ), French maman “mama,” Welsh mam “mother” (from unattested mammā )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The cameras help the nonprofit ensure that the mama and cubs are safe and not too close to wires or stuck in netting, both situations they’ve dealt with, Bryant said.

From Los Angeles Times

By the time Ferdie was six months old, he had reportedly written his first spirit communication in pencil: “I love this little boy, God bless his mama.”

From Literature

After all, I’d been living around Mama for fourteen years; and a boy can learn a lot about his mama in that length of time.

From Literature

I remember everybody and their mama was talking about how great the script was and how they wanted to be on the show.

From Los Angeles Times

"Now you come here to ask me favors. But what were you but a raggedy, bare-bottomed little boy like all the rest once upon a time, crying for your mama when Sheba passed by?"

From Literature

Related Words

• female
• girl
• woman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.