LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

mamma

mamma f (genitive mammae)
Classical[ˈmam.ma]Ecclesiastical[ˈmam.ma]

Meaning

  1. femininebreast
    Puero isti da mammam.Give that boy of yours your breast [i.e. suckle him].
  2. feminineudder; pap
  3. feminineteat; dug
    mammam sugereto suck on a breast
  4. childishfemininemama (mother)
    Cum cibum ac potionem buas ac papas vocent, matrem mammam, patrem tatam.Since children call food and drink bua and papa, mother mamma and father tata.
  5. broadlyfemininea protuberance on tree bark

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Mamma · Mamilla · Uber · Papilla

1. Mamma and uber denote the breast in the female body; mamma (μάμμη) denotes the visible breast as a fleshy part of the body, particularly of a female body; whereas uber (οὐαρόν) the nourishing breast as filled with milk, which is only found in the female body, like οὖθαρ. 2. Papilla and mamilla denote the nipples of the breast, common to the male and female; papilla (redupl. of πάλλα) with reference to their spherical shape, without distinction of the sexes, like μαζός; mamilla (redupl. from ἀμέλγω) with reference to their adaptation for suckling, and therefore belonging only to the female sex, like τίτθη, and teats. (iv. 133.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemammamammae
genitivemammaemammārum
dativemammaemammīs
accusativemammammammās
ablativemammāmammīs
vocativemammamammae

mamma, ae, f., = μάμμα,
I. a breast, pap, esp. of females, rarely of males; also, a teat, dug of animals.
I. Lit.: puero isti date mammam, give him the breast, suckle him, Plaut. Truc. 2, 5, 1; id. Trin. 5, 1, 16: puer in gremio matris sedens, mammam appetens, Cic. Div. 2, 41, 85: ubera mammarum, Lucr. 5, 885.—Of a man: mammas homo solus e maribus habet, Plin. 11, 39, 95, § 232; Cic. Fin. 3, 5, 18; Just. 12, 9 fin.—Of animals, Cic. N. D. 2, 51, 18: mammam sugere, Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 20: mammas praebere, Plin. 11, 40, 95, § 234: mamma sterilescit, dries up, id. ib. —
II. Transf.
A. A protuberance on the bark of a tree, Plin. 17, 16, 26, § 118.—
B. In the language of children, mother, mamma: cum cibum ac potionem buas ac papas vocent, matrem mammam, patrem tatam, Varr. ap. Non. 81, 4; Mart. 1, 101, 1. —In inscrr., for mother, Inscr. Orell. 2769; 2813; for grandmother, Inscr. Mur. 1134, 3; for nurse, Inscr. Visc. Mus. Pio-Clem. t. 2, p. 82.

Origins

Uncertain. Either a native childish term of onomatopoeic origin, or borrowed from Ancient Greek μάμμη (mámmē).

Descendants
  • Englishmamma
  • Frenchmaman
  • Portuguesemamãfrom French maman
  • Spanishmamáfrom French maman
  • Frenchm'man
  • Italianmamma
  • Portuguesemamafrom Old Galician-Portuguese mama
  • Portuguesemamoafrom Old Galician-Portuguese mamoa
  • Romanianmamă
  • Sardinianmama

In English words that came into English from mamma

  • mammalmammal
  • mammarymammārius
  • mammamamma
  • mammiformmamma
  • mammillamammilla
  • mammillarymammillāris

Quick answers

What does mamma mean in Latin?
mamma, a noun, means “breast; udder; pap”.
What is the genitive of mamma?
The genitive singular is mammae. mamma is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce mamma?
In classical Latin, [ˈmam.ma]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈmam.ma].
Which English words come from mamma?
English words that go back to Latin mamma include mamma, mammiform, mammary, mammilla, mammal and mammillary.