Where does “grandmamma” come from?
Grandmamma comes from English mamma, which derives from English mama, traced back through Ancient Greek μάμμη to Ancient Greek μᾰ́μμᾰ, a word for mother or grandmother.
grandmamma (English): Grandmother
Ancestry of “grandmamma”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | mamma | The milk-secreting organ of female humans and... |
| 2 | Latin | mamma | a breast; an udder; a pap; a teat, a dug |
| 3 | Latin | ferō | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | ferō | carry, bear |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰéreti | to be carrying |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰēr- | shiny, light brown |