Where does “මාමා” come from?

මාමා (Sinhalese) comes from Tamil மாமா, from Proto-Dravidian *māma — maternal or specific paternal (father's sister's husband) uncle.

මාමා (Sinhalese): maternal uncle

Definitions

  1. maternal uncle

Ancestry of “මාමා”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tamilமாமாa term of address for any elder male acquaintance
2Proto-Dravidian*māmamaternal or specific paternal (father's sister's husband) uncle
Every word from Proto-Dravidian *māma →Every word from Tamil மாமா →