Mammary
/ˈmæm.ə.ri/noun
Relating to the breasts or milk-secreting glands of mammals.
Did you know?Its core comes from a childlike reduplicated root for “mother” in Latin, which is why the word feels so intimate and primal rather than clinical.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*méh₂tēr
“mother”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mammā
“mother, mommy; nursery word”
Latin
Latin
mamma
“breast; mother, mommy”
Late Latin
Latin
mammārius
“of the breast, pertaining to the breast”
Middle English
English
mammary
“relating to the breast”
Modern English
English
mammary
“relating to the breasts or milk-secreting glands”