amma

A1M3M3A1
/ˈʌmə/

noun

mother

“For quotations using this term, see Citations:amma.”

OriginEcclesiastical Latin amma ← Classical Syriac ܐܸܡܵܐ →
UncommonScrabble 8
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Meanings

amma1

nounamma (plural ammas)

plural ammas

  1. Indiamother

    He'd heard her refer to her own mother as "Amma," but whether this meant "mom" or "mother," he wasn't sure.

    2007, Trenton Lee Stewart, The Mysterious Benedict Society, page 477

amma2

nounamma (plural ammas)

plural ammas

  1. historicalChristianityAn abbess or spiritual mother, especially one of the Desert Mothers.

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:amma.

Origin

amma · noun

Related to Tamil அம்மா (ammā, “mother”), Hindi अम्मा (ammā), Malayalam അമ്മ (amma), Kannada ಅಮ್ಮ (amma, “mother”) Telugu అమ్మ (amma, “mother”), Sinhalese අම්මා (ammā, “mother”), or Classical Syriac ܐܡܐ (emma, “mother”).

Full word history & related roots →

amma · noun

  1. Classical Syriacܐܸܡܵܐ“mother, abbess”
  2. Ecclesiastical Latinamma
  3. Englishamma

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin amma, from Classical Syriac ܐܸܡܵܐ (ʾemmā, “mother, abbess”).

More words from Ecclesiastical Latin, Classical Syriac

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

mama
Cite this entry
APA

amma. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amma

MLA

“amma.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amma. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “amma,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/amma.

Source: amma on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.