mamma

IPA/ˈmæm.ə/
KK[mˈɑmə]IPA/ˈmæm.ə/

mamma — noun

  • mammasingular
  • mammasplural

1. in female mammals, the organ on the chest or underside of the body that produces

1.nounB2
Definition

in female mammals, the organ on the chest or underside of the body that produces milk to feed newborn young

Example

After giving birth, Mira's mammae began producing milk within the first day.

plural form mammae in medical contexts

The veterinarian checked the dog's mammae for swelling after her puppies were born.

veterinary context: animal mammae

Common collocations
  • lactating mamma
  • swollen mamma
  • examine the mamma
  • mamma tissue
Synonyms
  • breast

    everyday term; mamma is the formal anatomical equivalent

  • mammary gland

    more technical; refers specifically to the milk-producing tissue inside the mamma

  • udder

    used only for farm animals such as cows and goats, where the mammae form a single hanging organ

Grammar Patterns

the mamma / the mammae

a female mammal's mamma / mammae

Usage Note

Formal medical or biological term. In everyday conversation, the word 'breast' is far more common. The Latin plural mammae is standard in scientific writing, especially when referring to animals or paired organs.

Common Mistakes

She called her mamma on the phone.
She called her mother on the phone.
The 'mother' meaning of mamma is archaic or dialectal and should not be used in modern English.
The doctor examined her mamma for breast cancer.
The doctor examined her breast for breast cancer.
In medical contexts, 'breast' is the standard word in patient communication, while 'mamma' is typically used in anatomy textbooks and research papers.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Breast is the everyday word used in casual conversation, healthcare settings, and general writing — it covers both the anatomical structure and the external body part. Mammary gland is the narrower scientific term used in biology and medicine to refer specifically to the milk-secreting tissue within the breast or mamma. Udder is reserved for four-footed farm mammals (cows, goats, sheep) whose mammae are grouped into a single pendulous organ. For example, a doctor might say 'breast cancer' to a patient, but the same doctor would read about 'mammary gland tumours' in a medical journal and refer to 'the cow's udder' on a farm visit.

breast ↗mammary glandudder ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • mamma of a female mammal

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Borrowed directly from Latin mamma meaning 'breast' or 'teat'. The Latin word itself is thought to come from a baby's natural repeated 'ma-ma' sound — the same nursery-word origin that gave us 'mother' in many languages. It entered English as an anatomical term in the late 1500s.