At 4 months, Kai started to call me “Uma”, his version of the word. This sparked my interested in the linguistic origins of the word “mother”. It derives from the root “mater” which means measure. Other words with this common root are: matriarchy, maternal, and matron. Did you know that the word mama means “breast” in Latin? Go figure.
Check out the word “mother” in other languages:
- Mata (Hindi)
- Ma (Mandarin)
- Madre (Spanish, Italian)
- Imi (Hebrew)
- Okasan (Japanese)
- Makuahine (Hawaiian)
- Me (Vietnamese)
- Mamma (Swedish)
- Ina (Tagalog)
No matter what, the word “mother” in any language is powerful. Ask any child, I’m sure the word conjures up comfort, nourishment, and authority.
How do you say it in your household?
March 11th, 2009
Amma … in a regional Indian dialect
March 12th, 2009
The Russian word for “mother” is Mama
March 19th, 2009
no matter what language, the word mother sounds beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
March 20th, 2009
Ma (also Vietnamese- Southern)
May 30th, 2009
I say Me . I’m Vietnamese and my last name is Nguyen too!