Where does “mammy” come from?
Mammy comes from Middle English -y, Middle French -ie, Latin -ia, Latin -ivus, Latin -ia, Proto-Indo-European -kos, and Proto-Indo-European -kos, tracing back through successive suffix formations across these languages.
mammy (English): mamma; mother; In the southern United States, a...
Definitions
- mamma; mother; In the southern United States, a...
Ancestry of “mammy”, 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 |
Words derived from “mammy”