English word origin

Etymology of ma

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, p

6 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 6 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 2

Original entry ↗

noun

mother, mama · The landlady of a theater.

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "monosyllable",
      "monosyllable"
    ],
    [
      "mama",
      "mama#English"
    ],
    [
      "papa",
      "papa#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "mother, mama",
        "The landlady of a theater."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial"
      ],
      "recordId": "cb4f7cdadca8ad05bca15d0dee9b22795b78b7c4e494cdc4ae6a64738f058a26",
      "rawRecordSha256": "eb7f0d1e4ae6b0e17a9990bf65285ee697f2517a93c23bd911c6c685825fd22b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 203429
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

May.

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

Abbreviation.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "May."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "cac27a0d516db15a7a042a5d8395ad2f47b37f941ad366a8dcc48f9353be9f9a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5330831811e2ed4f67b3f714995d0b5c138f728210f1ec9b3dceab34f1dd5541",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 203430
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

det

Alternative spelling of my.

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

From my.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "my",
      "my#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "det",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of my."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "dialectal",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "cfa403f44f49594c6f667ba5189b4304fb630bd748bf47b27590e959884e86ee",
      "rawRecordSha256": "605559d49092c2559cc9e38b81299eebd534906434022951d425a64fd2a72936",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 203431
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗

particle

Alternative form of mah.

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

From Cantonese 嘛 (maa³, “of course!”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention嘛yue

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yue",
        "3": "嘛",
        "4": "",
        "5": "of course!",
        "tr": "maa³"
      },
      "expansion": "Cantonese 嘛 (maa³, “of course!”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "嘛",
      "嘛#Cantonese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "particle",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of mah."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Manglish",
        "Singlish",
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
      "recordId": "8b0f9e300f8ddf68407fd6e1a5e853063286f31fc56c55b8b7cb3fff0248d5db",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2e22f8c5aee45155be07c17adb7634527ad72a67b606b498de82b5b2e42b0c96",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 203432
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 6

Original entry ↗

particle

Alternative spelling of mah.

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

From Mandarin 嗎／吗 (ma).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "嗎",
        "tr": "ma"
      },
      "expansion": "嗎／吗 (ma)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "嗎",
      "嗎#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "吗",
      "吗#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "particle",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of mah."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
      "recordId": "a83cbacdbde2b36fa223ebaba3896708cb88e957a575665e826f566b89d8cc44",
      "rawRecordSha256": "44b6b76a5d5616996de44c2d4dab74e60fd54dbd571b9d0ee904aee228788491",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 203433
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 7

Original entry ↗

noun

Negative space in Japanese art.

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

Borrowed from Japanese 間.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ja:間",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Japanese\", \"term\" : \"間\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ja\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ma\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"ma\">\nBorrowed from Japanese 間."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ja:間",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Japanese 間."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "間",
      "間#Japanese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Negative space in Japanese art."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "4de465cdb11e075349e4a83aa53d71d405f7bf2f061741d27f924f4be65f707d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5c758106fa403d05697fe9e8c28797a53db0ad8de36cdfe79038b2c1cea51381",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 203434
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 ma →

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-bWE