Where does “mama” come from?

mama (Chinook Jargon) comes from French maman, from Latin mamma, from Latin ferō, from Proto-Italic ferō, from Proto-Indo-European bʰéreti, from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- — shiny, light brown.

mama (Chinook Jargon): mother

Definitions

  1. mother

Ancestry of “mama”, step by step

mama traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French maman

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmamanmummy, mom, mum
2Latinmammaa breast; an udder; a pap; a teat, a dug
3Latinferōto bear; to carry
4Proto-Italicferōcarry, bear
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰéretito be carrying
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰēr-shiny, light brown

via English mama

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmamaMother, female parent
2Xhosaumamamom, mother
3Proto-Bantu*mààmá—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰēr- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰéreti →Every word from Proto-Italic ferō →