mama
Americannoun
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” ( see mamma 2), French maman “mama,” Welsh mam “mother” (from unattested mammā )
Explanation
Mama is a kind of nickname for your mother, another way to say "mom" or "mommy." A very common first word for babies in nearly every country is mama. The ma sound shows up very early in a baby's babbling, and experts believe that's where mama originated. Nearly every Indo-European language has a word for "mother" that sounds like mama, including the Latin mamma, the Greek mamme, and the Persian mama. Plenty of older kids and even adults use the word too, as a fond nickname for their mother.
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.
How could the filmmaker behind “Children of Men,” “Gravity” and “Y tu mamá también” make something so dull that few people could to finish it?
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 15, 2025
Hugon: Mi mamá siempre fue muy estricta y no me dejaba salir y mi papá siempre trabajaba.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2023
Una década después, para su conmovedora película Y tu mamá también, Cuarón quería un narrador masculino que evocara a los de Masculino femenino y Banda aparte, de Jean-Luc Godard.
From New York Times • Dec. 21, 2022
Ahorró suficiente cosechando fruta y le envío dinero a su mamá, quien construyó una casa de tabique.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 2, 2018
“My mamá says I should be an actor because I’m so dramatic.”
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
