English · Word Candidate

ma

/mɑː/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: mas

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

mother, mama

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

mẹ, mama

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

NounRegister: colloquial

Examples

Once the silky gent who ran a barge called the Knuckle Sandwich tried to persuade Borglum's ma and da to sell him their little dwarfish boy for twelve gold coins.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

The landlady of a theater.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Chủ nhà теат

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

NounRegister: colloquial

Examples

[…] that dear little man writing in the guestbook of the "Ma" or theatrical landlady […]

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

May.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Negative space in Japanese art.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Không gian âm trong nghệ thuật Nhật

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “ma” mean?

mother, mama

Is “ma” formal or informal?

ma is generally colloquial.