*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Mazu

Borrowed from Mandarin 媽祖/妈祖 (Māzǔ).

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A Chinese sea goddess, the deified form of Lin Moniang, a medieval Fujianese girl who became revered as a sea goddess and, since the Qing dynasty, especially in Taiwan, more generally as the primary goddess of Heaven.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Mandarin 媽祖/妈祖 (Māzǔ).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "logo": "Commons-logo.svg",
        "logolink": "commons:Category:Mazu (goddess)",
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        "noitalic": "",
        "link": "Mazu (goddess)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
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        "1": "Mazu (goddess)"
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      },
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    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "媽祖"
      },
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  ],
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    ],
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    ]
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A Chinese sea goddess, the deified form of Lin Moniang, a medieval Fujianese girl who became revered as a sea goddess and, since the Qing dynasty, especially in Taiwan, more generally as the primary goddess of Heaven."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

Alternative form of Matsu (archipelago). · Alternative form of Matsu (island).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Mandarin 馬祖/马祖 (Mǎzǔ).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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    },
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      "args": {
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      },
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  ],
  "links": [
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    ],
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    ]
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of Matsu (archipelago).",
        "Alternative form of Matsu (island)."
      ],
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        "alternative"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Mazu →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-TWF6dQ