மா

• IPA^(key): /maː/

• Audio:

  (file)

மா • (mā) (no case)

1. the alphasyllabic combination of ம் (m) +‎ ஆ (ā).

Inherited from Proto-South Dravidian *mām. Cognate with Kannada ಮಾವು (māvu), Malayalam മാ (mā) and Telugu మావి (māvi), మామిడి (māmiḍi).

• மாம் (mām) — combining form

மா • (mā)

1. mango (tree or fruit)

Apheretic form of அம்மா (ammā).

மா • (mā)

1. (vocative) Spoken Tamil form of அம்மா (ammā, “mother”)

   Coordinate term: பா (pā)

மா • (mā) (Spoken Tamil)

1. a term of address for women.

   Coordinate term: பா (pā)

2. (endearing, Tamil Nadu) a term of address for a group of younger people.

Inherited from Old Tamil 𑀫𑀸 (mā). Cognate with Gondi [script needed] (māy), Kannada ಮಾ (mā), Malayalam മാ (mā).^[1] Possibly a doublet of மகா (makā), மஹா (mahā).

• மா- (mā-)

மா • (mā)

1. great, large, big, superior

   Synonyms: மாபெரும் (māperum), பேர் (pēr), பெரு (peru), பெரும் (perum), பெரிய (periya), உயர்ந்த (uyarnta), மகா (makā)

From Old Tamil 𑀫𑀸 (mā).

மா • (mā)

1. (higher register) animal, beast

   Synonym: விலங்கு (vilaṅku)

2. (higher register) horse

   Synonym: குதிரை (kutirai)

3. (archaic) elephant

   Synonym: யானை (yāṉai)

4. (archaic) stallion, boar, male elephant
5. (astrology) Leo

   Synonym: சிம்மம் (cimmam)

6. (archaic) bee

   Synonym: தேனீ (tēṉī)

7. (archaic) swan

   Synonym: அன்னம் (aṉṉam)

8. (archaic) calling, call
9. (archaic) cloth
10. (archaic) nail

    Synonym: ஆணி (āṇi)

11. (archaic) bearing with patience

Probably related to மாய் (māy). Cognate with Malayalam മാവ് (māvŭ) and Telugu మావీ (māvī).

மா • (mā)

1. flour, meal, dough, powder

   Synonym: மாவு (māvu)

2. dust

   Synonym: பொடி (poṭi)

3. afterbirth, secundines

   Synonym: நஞ்சுக்கொடி (nañcukkoṭi)

From Old Tamil 𑀫𑀸 (mā). Cognate with Malayalam മാ (mā).

மா • (mā) (archaic)

1. beauty
2. blackness
3. color
4. paleness cause by lovesickness

   Synonym: பசலை (pacalai)

Borrowed from Sanskrit मा (mā). Cognate with Malayalam മാ (mā).

மா • (mā) (obsolete)

1. Lakshmi
2. Saraswati

மா • (mā)

1. the fraction one twentieth
2. (dialectal) a land measure of a hundred pit (குழி (kuḻi)), equal to one-third of an acre.
3. (obsolete) treasure
4. (obsolete) a measure of weight
5. (obsolete) field
6. (obsolete) tract of land
7. (obsolete) dislike, disgust
8. (obsolete) mirage

• University of Madras (1924–1936), “மா”, in Tamil Lexicon, Madras [Chennai]: Diocesan Press
• S. Ramakrishnan (1992), “மா”, in தற்காலத் தமிழ் அகராதி [Dictionary of Contemporary Tamil] (in Tamil), Madras: Cre-A Publishers, page [1]

• “மா”, in அகராதி: தமிழ் → ஆங்கில அகரமுதலி [Agarathi: Tamil → English Dictionary], 2023