# amma
## English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈʌmə/
* Rhymes: -ʌmə

### Etymology 1

Related to Tamil அம்மா (ammā, “mother”), Hindi अम्मा (ammā), Malayalam അമ്മ (amma), Kannada ಅಮ್ಮ (amma, “mother”) Telugu అమ్మ (amma, “mother”), Sinhalese අම්මා (ammā, “mother”), or Classical Syriac ܐܡܐ (emma, “mother”). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

#### Noun

amma (plural ammas)
* (India) mother

##### Usage notes

* Widely used in English-speaking expat communities.

##### Derived terms

* amma canteen

#### See also

* amah

### Etymology 2

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin amma, from Classical Syriac ܐܸܡܵܐ (ʾemmā, “mother, abbess”).

#### Noun

amma (plural ammas)
* (Christianity, historical) An abbess or spiritual mother, especially one of the Desert Mothers.
    Coordinate term: abba
** For quotations using this term, see Citations:amma.

### Anagrams

* ma ma, ma'am, mama

## Azerbaijani
### Etymology

Ultimately from Arabic أَمَّا (ʔammā).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈɑmːɑ]
* (Karabakh) IPA: [ˈɑmbɑ] (as if spelled amba)
* Audio:(file)

### Conjunction

amma
* but
    Synonyms: ancaq, fəqət

## Bole
### Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

### Noun

àmma
* water

### References

* Alhaji Maina Gimba, Russell G. Schuh, Bole-English-Hausa Dictionary and English-Bole Wordlist
* Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
    […] we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" [GT]:
    (1) Ch. *h-m "water" [GT]: WCh. *hama [Stl.]: AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) [GT 2004, 153] = *am [Stl. 1977] = *ham [Dlg.] = *ham [Stl. 1987]: […] BT *hama [Stl.] = *am- [Schuh], Bole ˀame [Schuh] = aməi [Schuh] = àmmá [Schuh] […]

## Cornish
### Alternative forms

* (Revived Late Cornish) abma

### Etymology

From amm (“kiss”).

### Verb

amma
* to kiss

## Finnish
### Etymology

From Swedish amma.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɑmːɑ/, [ˈɑ̝mːɑ̝]
* Rhymes: -ɑmːɑ
* Hyphenation: am‧ma

### Noun

amma
* wet nurse
* nanny

#### Declension

Possessive forms of amma (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ammani
ammani
accusative
nom.
ammani
ammani
gen.
ammani
genitive
ammani
ammojeni ammaini $^{rare}$
partitive
ammaani
ammojani
inessive
ammassani
ammoissani
elative
ammastani
ammoistani
illative
ammaani
ammoihini
adessive
ammallani
ammoillani
ablative
ammaltani
ammoiltani
allative
ammalleni
ammoilleni
essive
ammanani
ammoinani
translative
ammakseni
ammoikseni
abessive
ammattani
ammoittani
instructive
comitative
—ammoineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ammasi
ammasi
accusative
nom.
ammasi
ammasi
gen.
ammasi
genitive
ammasi
ammojesi ammaisi $^{rare}$
partitive
ammaasi
ammojasi
inessive
ammassasi
ammoissasi
elative
ammastasi
ammoistasi
illative
ammaasi
ammoihisi
adessive
ammallasi
ammoillasi
ablative
ammaltasi
ammoiltasi
allative
ammallesi
ammoillesi
essive
ammanasi
ammoinasi
translative
ammaksesi
ammoiksesi
abessive
ammattasi
ammoittasi
instructive
comitative
—ammoinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ammamme
ammamme
accusative
nom.
ammamme
ammamme
gen.
ammamme
genitive
ammamme
ammojemme ammaimme $^{rare}$
partitive
ammaamme
ammojamme
inessive
ammassamme
ammoissamme
elative
ammastamme
ammoistamme
illative
ammaamme
ammoihimme
adessive
ammallamme
ammoillamme
ablative
ammaltamme
ammoiltamme
allative
ammallemme
ammoillemme
essive
ammanamme
ammoinamme
translative
ammaksemme
ammoiksemme
abessive
ammattamme
ammoittamme
instructive
comitative
—ammoinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ammanne
ammanne
accusative
nom.
ammanne
ammanne
gen.
ammanne
genitive
ammanne
ammojenne ammainne $^{rare}$
partitive
ammaanne
ammojanne
inessive
ammassanne
ammoissanne
elative
ammastanne
ammoistanne
illative
ammaanne
ammoihinne
adessive
ammallanne
ammoillanne
ablative
ammaltanne
ammoiltanne
allative
ammallenne
ammoillenne
essive
ammananne
ammoinanne
translative
ammaksenne
ammoiksenne
abessive
ammattanne
ammoittanne
instructive
comitative
—ammoinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ammansa
ammansa
accusative
nom.
ammansa
ammansa
gen.
ammansa
genitive
ammansa
ammojensa ammainsa $^{rare}$
partitive
ammaansa
ammojaan ammojansa
inessive
ammassaan ammassansa
ammoissaan ammoissansa
elative
ammastaan ammastansa
ammoistaan ammoistansa
illative
ammaansa
ammoihinsa
adessive
ammallaan ammallansa
ammoillaan ammoillansa
ablative
ammaltaan ammaltansa
ammoiltaan ammoiltansa
allative
ammalleen ammallensa
ammoilleen ammoillensa
essive
ammanaan ammanansa
ammoinaan ammoinansa
translative
ammakseen ammaksensa
ammoikseen ammoiksensa
abessive
ammattaan ammattansa
ammoittaan ammoittansa
instructive
comitative
—ammoineen ammoinensa :

#### Derived terms

* ammata (“tend to a child”)

### See also

* amme
* ammentaa
* emo
* emä
* ämmi
* ämmä

## Hausa
### Etymology

From Arabic أَمَّا (ʔammā).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ʔàm.máː/
** (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA: [ʔàm.máː]

### Conjunction

àmmā
* but

## Icelandic
### Etymology

From Old Norse amma.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈamːa/
* Rhymes: -amːa

### Noun

amma f (genitive singular ömmu, nominative plural ömmur)
* grandmother, grandma, granny

#### Derived terms

* kalla ekki allt ömmu sína
* langamma

## Kirfi
### Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

### Noun

amma
* water

### References

* Etudes berbères et chamito-sémitiques: mélanges offerts à Karl-G. Prasse (2000, →ISBN, page 38
* Václav Blažek, A Lexicostatistical comparison of Omotic languages, in In Hot Pursuit of Language in Prehistory: Essays in the four fields of anthropology, page 122

## Latin
### Etymology 1

Pokorny suggests a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *amma-, *ama- (“mother”). Compare Latin amita (“paternal aunt”), Latin anus (“crone”) and Old High German amma (“wet nurse”).
It may also represent an infantile modification of mamma.

#### Noun

amma f (genitive ammae); first declension (Late Latin)
* a nocturnal bird, perhaps the screech owl
** c. 600, Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, XII.vii.42:Haec avis [viz. strix] vulgo amma dicitur, ab amando parvulos; unde et lac praebere fertur nascentibus.This bird is commonly called amma [mum (?)], because it loves its young, and it is also said to offer milk to its hatchlings.

##### Usage notes

* Based on etymological evidence and the reference to milk in the Isidore quote, it is suspected that this word actually meant “mother”, along similar lines to atta (“father”).

##### Declension

First-declension noun.

##### Descendants

* Catalan: ama
* Galician: ama
* Portuguese: ama
* Spanish: ama

### Etymology 2

From Classical Syriac ܐܸܡܵܐ (ʾemmā, “mother, abbess”) via Koine Greek ἀμμᾶς (ammâs), ἀμμὰ (ammà), perhaps reinforced by Etymology 1.

#### Noun

amma f (genitive ammae); first declension (Late Latin)
* amma; a spiritual mother or abbess in early monasticism, a Desert Mother
    Coordinate term: abba
    Vita Ammae Talidae ― The Life of Amma Talida

##### Declension

First-declension noun.

### References

* Joan Coromines, José A[ntonio] Pascual (1984) “ama”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critic Castilian and Hispanic Etymological Dictionary] (in Spanish), volume I (A–Ca), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 226
* ↑ Pokorny, Julius (1959) “am(m)a”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, pages 36-37

### Further reading

* amma in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
* amma in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
* Souter, Alexander (1949) “amma”, in A Glossary of Later Latin to 600 A.D.‎, 1st edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, published 1957, page 13

## Northern Ohlone
### Verb

amma
* to eat
** 1921, María de los Angeles Colós, José Guzman, and John Peabody Harrington, Chochenyo Field Notes‎:akkwetak hinšušte hinṭoš ek-ammasinI don't know what I am going to eat

### References

* María de los Angeles Colós, José Guzman, and John Peabody Harrington (1930s) Chochenyo Field Notes (Survey of California and Other Indian Langauges)‎, Unpublished

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Alternative forms

* ammen (of noun)
* ammet (of verb)

### Noun

amma m or f
* definite feminine singular of amme

### Verb

amma
* inflection of amme:
** simple past
** past participle

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Verb

amma (present tense ammar, past tense amma, past participle amma, present participle ammande, imperative am)
* A-infinitive form of amme

### Noun

amma f
* definite singular of amme
* (pre-2012) alternative form of amme

## Old High German
### Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ammǭ (“mother”).

### Noun

amma f
* wet nurse

#### Descendants

* German: Amme

## Old Norse
### Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ammǭ (“mother”), from Proto-Indo-European *amma (“mother”).

### Noun

amma f (genitive ǫmmu, plural ǫmmur)
* grandmother

#### Descendants

* Faroese: omma f
* Icelandic: amma f

### See also

* afi (“grandfather”)
* edda (“great-grandmother”)
* ái (“great-grandfather”)

### Further reading

* Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “amma”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive

## Pali
### Alternative forms

* 𑀅𑀫𑁆𑀫 (Brahmi script)
* अम्म (Devanagari script)
* অম্ম (Bengali script)
* අම‍්ම (Sinhalese script)
* အမ္မ or ဢမ္မ or ဢမ်မ (Burmese script)
* อมฺม or อัมมะ (Thai script)
* ᩋᨾ᩠ᨾ (Tai Tham script)
* ອມ຺ມ or ອັມມະ (Lao script)
* អម្ម (Khmer script)
* 𑄃𑄟𑄴𑄟 (Chakma script)

### Noun

amma
* vocative singular of ammā (“mummy”)
* familiar term of address to a woman

#### References

Pali Text Society (1921–1925) “amma”, in Pali-English Dictionary‎, London: Chipstead

## Swedish
### Etymology

From Low German amme; compare with German Amme (“wet nurse”). Verb derived from noun.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /²ama/

### Noun

amma c
* a wet nurse

#### Declension

| | | nominative | genitive |
| singular | indefinite | amma | ammas |
| singular | definite | amman | ammans |
| plural | indefinite | ammor | ammors |
| plural | definite | ammorna | ammornas |

#### Derived terms

* amsaga

### Verb

amma (present ammar, preterite ammade, supine ammat, imperative amma)
* to breastfeed

#### Related terms

* amning

#### See also

* bröstmjölk
* modersmjölk

### References

* amma in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* amma in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* amma in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

## Tagabawa
### Noun

ámmà
* father

## Turkish
### Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish اما (amma) from Arabic أَمَّا (ʔammā).

### Adverb

amma
* yet

### See also

* ama
* âmâ