mam
Mam (noun) means an informal, affectionate word for one's mother, common in British and Irish English. Example: “He rang his mam every Sunday evening.”
How to use mam
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA casual, warm way of saying "mum" or "mom," especially in Ireland, Wales, and parts of northern England.
Informal and regional — used in speech and casual writing, not formal contexts.
Word forms
- Plural
- mams
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
He rang his _____ every Sunday evening.
Etymology
This is an alteration or clipping of mama; compare Scots mam, Early Scots mame (“mother”) and mamye (“wet nurse”), Saterland Frisian Määme (“mother”), and West Frisian mem (“mother”). Alternatively, it may have been conserved from, or influenced by, an earlier Brythonic language.
