mammy

mam-my · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    (Informal, chiefly Irish and Southern US) Mother; a child's word for mother.

  2. 2.

    (Historical, US, now offensive) A Black woman who worked as a nursemaid or housekeeper for white families, especially in the American South.

Forms

plural: mammies

Related words

Antonyms: daddy, father
See also: mama, mommy, mother, mummy
Synonyms: mama, mommy, mother, mummy

Etymology

From mama + -y diminutive suffix. The word has different connotations in different regions; it is an affectionate term for mother in Ireland but carries historical racial baggage in American English.