Editing Mother (section)

==Synonyms and translations==
[[File:Quechuawomanandchild.jpg|thumb|upright|Mother with child in [[Peru]]]]
[[File:ASC Leiden - Coutinho Collection - 11 24 - Village in the liberated areas, Guinea-Bissau - 1974.tiff|upright|thumb|Mothers with children in liberated [[Guinea-Bissau]], 1974]]
{{Main|Mama and papa}}
The proverbial "first word" of an infant often sounds like "ma" or "mama". This strong association of that sound with "mother" has persisted in nearly every language on earth, countering the natural localization of language.

Familiar or colloquial terms for ''mother'' in English are:
* ''Ma''(মা), ''Mata'' (মাতা), ''Amma'' (আম্মা), ''Ammu'' (আম্মু) used in [[Bangladesh]], [[India]].
* ''Aama'', ''Mata'' used in [[Nepal]]
* ''Mom'' and ''mommy'' are used in the [[United States]], [[Canada]], [[South Africa]], and parts of the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] including [[Birmingham]] in the [[United Kingdom]].
* ''Inay'', ''Nanay'', ''Mama'', ''Ma'', ''Mom'', ''Mommy'' are used in the [[Philippines]]
* ''Mum'' and ''mummy'' and ''mama'' are used in the United Kingdom, Canada, [[Singapore]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Hong Kong]] and [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]].
* ''Ma'', ''mam'', and ''mammy'' are used in [[Netherlands]], Ireland, the Northern areas of the United Kingdom, and [[Wales]]; it is also used in some areas of the United States.
* {{Transliteration|ja|Mama}} was imported into [[Japan]] from American influence post–[[World War II]], and is a less formal term for mother.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shoji|first=Kaori|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2004/10/28/language/for-japanese-family-names-are-the-worst-growing-pains/|title=For Japanese, family names are the worst growing pains|newspaper=[[The Japan Times]]|date=2004-10-28|accessdate=2022-06-09|archive-date=2022-06-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609051828/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2004/10/28/language/for-japanese-family-names-are-the-worst-growing-pains/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In many other languages, similar pronunciations apply:
* ''Amma'' (அம்மா) or ''Thai'' (தாய்) in [[Tamil language|Tamil]]''.''
*''Bi-ma'' (बिमा) in [[Boro language (India)|Bodo]].
*''Maa'', ''aai'', ''amma'', and ''mata'' are used in languages of [[India]] like [[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Hindi]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]] etc.
* ''Mamá'', ''mama'', ''ma'', and ''mami'' in [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
* ''Mama'' in [[Polish language|Polish]], [[German language|German]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[Russian language|Russian]] and [[Slovak language|Slovak]]
* ''Māma'' (妈妈/媽媽) in [[Chinese language|Chinese]]
* ''Máma'' in [[Czech language|Czech]] and in [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] 
* ''Maman'' in [[French language|French]] and [[Persian language|Persian]]
* ''Ma'', ''mama'' in [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]]
* ''Mamaí'', ''mam'' in [[Irish language|Irish]]
* ''Mamma'' in [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]], [[Latvian language|Latvian]] and [[Swedish language|Swedish]]
* {{Transliteration|fa|Māman}} or {{Transliteration|fa|mādar}} in [[Persian language|Persian]]
* {{Transliteration|pt|Mamãe}} or {{Transliteration|pt|mãe}} in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]
* ''Mā̃'' (ਮਾਂ) in [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
* ''Mõujì''  in [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]
*Maa (ମା), Bou/Bau (ବୋଉ/ବଉ) in [[Odia language|Odia]]
* {{Transliteration|sw|Mama}} in [[Swahili language|Swahili]]
* {{Transliteration|he|Em}} ({{Lang|he|אם}}) in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]
* ''A'ma'' (ܐܡܐ) in [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]
* ''Má'' or ''mẹ'' in [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]
* {{Lang|cy|Mam}} in [[Welsh language|Welsh]]
* ''Eomma'' (엄마, {{IPA|ko|ʌmma|pron}}) in [[Korean language|Korean]]
* ''Mma'' in [[Tyap language|Tyap]]
* In many south Asian cultures and the Middle East, the mother is known as ''amma'', ''oma'', ''ammi'' or "ummi", or variations thereof. Many times, these terms denote affection or a maternal role in a child's life.

===Etymology===
[[File:Մայր Հայաստան հուշարձան.jpg|thumb|right|Statue of [[Mother Armenia]], aerial view in [[Yerevan]]]]
The modern English word is from Middle English {{Lang|enm|moder}}, from Old English {{Lang|ang|mōdor}}, from Proto-Germanic *mōdēr (cf. East Frisian muur, Dutch {{Lang|nl|moeder}}, German {{Lang|de|Mutter}}), from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr (cf. Irish máthair, Tocharian A mācar, B mācer, Lithuanian mótė). Other cognates include Latin {{Lang|la|māter}}, Greek μήτηρ, Common Slavic *mati (thence Russian мать (mat')), Persian {{Lang|fa|مادر}} ({{Lang|fa-Latn|madar}}), and Sanskrit {{Lang|sa|मातृ}} ({{Lang|sa-Latn|mātṛ}}).