mama

See original Mihalic entry.

Noun forms

1. Kinship: mother, classificatory mother, father’s co-wife ® smolmama
   pikinini wantaim mama bilong em the child and its mother
   singautim ol mama pikinini! call the mothers and children!
   was mama foster mother
   nambatu mama father’s co-wife
   mama bilong baptismo godmother

2. Kind of person: any married woman, any woman beyond the age of marriage
   mama, haumas long banana? mother, how much for your bananas?
   lapun mama an old woman

3. Kind of person: female owner
   husat i mama long dispela pik? which woman does this pig belong to?

4. Tools, machines, instruments: the nut fitting a bolt
   dispela skru i no gat mama bilong en there is no bolt for this nut

5. Quantity: huge, gigantic, ‘the mother of’
   draipela mama bilong spaida a gigantic spider
   mama bilong ren wasim mi I was soaked by a huge downpour

Noun combination forms

6. Mamo Lo The Constitution ® lo

© Revising the Mihalic Project, 26 Jan 2005 [Home]