ma
nounEtymology The sound, which parents interpret as a reference to themselves, is very commonly made by infants. For more on the linguistic process whereby infants' monosyllables are tied to ancient word roots for parents, see mama, papa, mātēr, and patēr.
1
Colloquial mother, mama
And in direct address
- Once the silky gent who ran a barge called the Knuckle Sandwich tried to persuade Borglum's ma and da to sell him their little dwarfish boy for twelve gold coins.2011, Philip Reeve, Scrivener's Moon, Scholastic, →ISBN, page 48:
2
Colloquial The landlady of a theater.
- […] that dear little man writing in the guestbook of the "Ma" or theatrical landlady […]1949, Shaw Desmond, The Edwardian Story, page 322:
- Related terms
- pa