*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of mata

Borrowed from Sanskrit माता (mātā), nom.sg. of मातृ (mātṛ, “mother”). Doublet of mater and mother.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A respectful title for a female spiritual leader or for a wife, mother, or grandmother of a male spiritual leader. · A Hindu goddess. · A mother (also used as a term of address for a woman).

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

Borrowed from Sanskrit माता (mātā), nom.sg. of मातृ (mātṛ, “mother”). Doublet of mater and mother.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "माता"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Sanskrit माता (mātā)"
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mater",
        "3": "mother"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of mater and mother"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "माता",
      "माता#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "मातृ",
      "मातृ#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "mater",
      "mater#English"
    ],
    [
      "mother",
      "mother#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A respectful title for a female spiritual leader or for a wife, mother, or grandmother of a male spiritual leader.",
        "A Hindu goddess.",
        "A mother (also used as a term of address for a woman)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "India"
      ],
      "recordId": "5ef496be1ae2b0696134830b4c68a78f780c672a2df0741af8cd3312cd9fca79",
      "rawRecordSha256": "059e4e1d370aeb78229350dc059457400f37ea41d97c99f6cab4dc6cbb377e4b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 305822
    }
  ],
  "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 mata →

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-bWF0YQ