Maa
/mɑː/noun
A South Asian term for mother, also used respectfully as a title for a goddess or revered woman.
Did you know?In Hindu religious language, Maa is commonly placed before a goddess’s name—such as Maa Kali—turning an intimate word for mother into a sacred invocation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*méh₂tēr
“Mother; the reconstructed ancestral form behind many Indo-European words for mother.”
Sanskrit
Sanskrit
mātṛ
“Mother; the classical Indo-Aryan word.”
Middle Indo-Aryan
Prakrit
mā
“Mother; a shortened and more colloquial form that developed in spoken usage.”
Medieval period
Hindi/Urdu
mā
“Mother; the ordinary South Asian term of address.”
Modern English
English
maa
“A loanword used especially in South Asian English for mother, and in religious contexts for a goddess or revered female figure.”