"mam" meaning in English

See mam in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /mæm/ [Northumbria] Forms: mams [plural]
Etymology: Alteration or clipping of mama. Compare Scots mam, Early Scots mame (“mother”), mamye (“wet nurse”), Saterland Frisian Määme (“mother”), West Frisian mem (“mother”). Alternatively, possibly either conserved from or influenced by earlier Brythonic language. Etymology templates: {{clipping|en|mama|nocap=1}} clipping of mama, {{cog|sco|mam}} Scots mam, {{cog|stq|Määme|t=mother}} Saterland Frisian Määme (“mother”), {{cog|fy|mem|t=mother}} West Frisian mem (“mother”), {{der|en|cel-bry}} Brythonic Head templates: {{en-noun}} mam (plural mams)
  1. (UK, Ireland, regional, informal, colloquial) Mum, mom; diminutive of mother. Tags: Ireland, UK, colloquial, informal, regional Derived forms: mammy, stepmam Related terms: ma'am
    Sense id: en-mam-en-noun-vGngYSwM Categories (other): British English, Irish English, Regional English, English entries with incorrect language header, Liverpudlian English, Pages with 25 entries, Pages with entries, Female family members Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 72 19 8 Disambiguation of Liverpudlian English: 54 21 25 Disambiguation of Pages with 25 entries: 1 1 1 6 19 2 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 4 3 10 2 1 3 2 9 4 4 1 1 14 1 3 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 1 1 1 9 21 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 11 1 1 2 1 6 2 5 1 1 20 1 2 Disambiguation of Female family members: 89 7 4
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Noun

IPA: /mæm/ [Northumbria] Forms: mams [plural]
Etymology: From mammary. Head templates: {{en-noun}} mam (plural mams)
  1. (UK, slang, chiefly in the plural) A woman's breast. Tags: UK, in-plural, slang
    Sense id: en-mam-en-noun-NqL3Aq-T Categories (other): British English
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Noun

IPA: /mæm/ [Northumbria]
  1. (chiefly India) Misspelling of ma'am. Tags: India, alt-of, misspelling Alternative form of: ma'am
    Sense id: en-mam-en-noun-Bo7rCehV Categories (other): Indian English
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 3

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_number": "1",
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mama",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "clipping of mama",
      "name": "clipping"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "mam"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots mam",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Määme",
        "t": "mother"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Määme (“mother”)",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "mem",
        "t": "mother"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian mem (“mother”)",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cel-bry"
      },
      "expansion": "Brythonic",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Alteration or clipping of mama. Compare Scots mam, Early Scots mame (“mother”), mamye (“wet nurse”), Saterland Frisian Määme (“mother”), West Frisian mem (“mother”).\nAlternatively, possibly either conserved from or influenced by earlier Brythonic language.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mams",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "mam (plural mams)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Irish English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Regional English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "72 19 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 21 25",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Liverpudlian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
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          "_dis": "1 1 1 6 19 2 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 4 3 10 2 1 3 2 9 4 4 1 1 14 1 3",
          "kind": "other",
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          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "89 7 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Female family members",
          "orig": "en:Female family members",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "mammy"
        },
        {
          "word": "stepmam"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              154,
              157
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2021, Glenda Young, The Miner's Lass:",
          "text": "She'd sit by the fire, arms crossed, demanding that Ruby spike her tea with a cinder. But Ruby would never give in to her demands, no matter how much her mam begged. There was no alcohol in the house now; Arthur had made sure of that in an effort to get Mary sober.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Mum, mom; diminutive of mother."
      ],
      "id": "en-mam-en-noun-vGngYSwM",
      "links": [
        [
          "regional",
          "regional#English"
        ],
        [
          "Mum",
          "mum"
        ],
        [
          "mom",
          "mom"
        ],
        [
          "mother",
          "mother#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, Ireland, regional, informal, colloquial) Mum, mom; diminutive of mother."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "ma'am"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ireland",
        "UK",
        "colloquial",
        "informal",
        "regional"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/mæm/",
      "tags": [
        "Northumbria"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "mam"
}

{
  "etymology_number": "2",
  "etymology_text": "From mammary.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mams",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "mam (plural mams)",
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    }
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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    {
      "categories": [
        {
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          "parents": [],
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        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
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              104,
              109
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2002, David M. Burns, Quests, page 24:",
          "text": "There was another teacher […] who came to class fairly often wearing a thin silk blouse and NO BRA. Her 'mams' bounced appropriately, which was of course utterly FASCINATING for every boy in the class.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              89,
              93
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2022, Craig W. Stanfill, The Prophecy of the Heron:",
          "text": "She focused her entire mind on that moment she had shared with Shan, the softness of her mams, the wetness of her lips.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A woman's breast."
      ],
      "id": "en-mam-en-noun-NqL3Aq-T",
      "links": [
        [
          "breast",
          "breast"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, slang, chiefly in the plural) A woman's breast."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "in-plural",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/mæm/",
      "tags": [
        "Northumbria"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "mam"
}

{
  "etymology_number": "3",
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "ma'am"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Indian English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Misspelling of ma'am."
      ],
      "id": "en-mam-en-noun-Bo7rCehV",
      "links": [
        [
          "ma'am",
          "ma'am#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly India) Misspelling of ma'am."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "India",
        "alt-of",
        "misspelling"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/mæm/",
      "tags": [
        "Northumbria"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "mam"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English clippings",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English misspellings",
    "English non-lemma forms",
    "English nouns",
    "English palindromes",
    "English terms derived from Brythonic languages",
    "Liverpudlian English",
    "Pages with 25 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Female family members"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "mammy"
    },
    {
      "word": "stepmam"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": "1",
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mama",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "clipping of mama",
      "name": "clipping"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "mam"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots mam",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Määme",
        "t": "mother"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Määme (“mother”)",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "mem",
        "t": "mother"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian mem (“mother”)",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cel-bry"
      },
      "expansion": "Brythonic",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Alteration or clipping of mama. Compare Scots mam, Early Scots mame (“mother”), mamye (“wet nurse”), Saterland Frisian Määme (“mother”), West Frisian mem (“mother”).\nAlternatively, possibly either conserved from or influenced by earlier Brythonic language.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mams",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "mam (plural mams)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "ma'am"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English colloquialisms",
        "English informal terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Irish English",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "Regional English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              154,
              157
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2021, Glenda Young, The Miner's Lass:",
          "text": "She'd sit by the fire, arms crossed, demanding that Ruby spike her tea with a cinder. But Ruby would never give in to her demands, no matter how much her mam begged. There was no alcohol in the house now; Arthur had made sure of that in an effort to get Mary sober.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Mum, mom; diminutive of mother."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "regional",
          "regional#English"
        ],
        [
          "Mum",
          "mum"
        ],
        [
          "mom",
          "mom"
        ],
        [
          "mother",
          "mother#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, Ireland, regional, informal, colloquial) Mum, mom; diminutive of mother."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ireland",
        "UK",
        "colloquial",
        "informal",
        "regional"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/mæm/",
      "tags": [
        "Northumbria"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "mam"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English misspellings",
    "English non-lemma forms",
    "English nouns",
    "English palindromes",
    "Liverpudlian English",
    "Pages with 25 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Female family members"
  ],
  "etymology_number": "2",
  "etymology_text": "From mammary.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mams",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "mam (plural mams)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
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  "lang_code": "en",
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  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English slang",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              104,
              109
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2002, David M. Burns, Quests, page 24:",
          "text": "There was another teacher […] who came to class fairly often wearing a thin silk blouse and NO BRA. Her 'mams' bounced appropriately, which was of course utterly FASCINATING for every boy in the class.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              89,
              93
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2022, Craig W. Stanfill, The Prophecy of the Heron:",
          "text": "She focused her entire mind on that moment she had shared with Shan, the softness of her mams, the wetness of her lips.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A woman's breast."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "breast",
          "breast"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, slang, chiefly in the plural) A woman's breast."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "in-plural",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/mæm/",
      "tags": [
        "Northumbria"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "mam"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English misspellings",
    "English non-lemma forms",
    "English palindromes",
    "Liverpudlian English",
    "Pages with 25 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Female family members"
  ],
  "etymology_number": "3",
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "ma'am"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English misspellings",
        "Indian English"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Misspelling of ma'am."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "ma'am",
          "ma'am#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly India) Misspelling of ma'am."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "India",
        "alt-of",
        "misspelling"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/mæm/",
      "tags": [
        "Northumbria"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "mam"
}

Download raw JSONL data for mam meaning in English (4.6kB)

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}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (ccec6f1 and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.