mammy

English

Etymology

mam + -y

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -æmi

Noun

mammy (plural mammies)

  1. (childish) mamma; mother
  2. (US, historical, often pejorative) In the southern United States, a black nanny employed to look after white children; or in the antebellum South, a female slave who was close to the household and looked after the children.
    • 1979, Octavia Butler, Kindred:
      That's what you for—to help white folks keep niggers down. That's why he sent you to me. They be calling you mammy in a few years. You be running the whole house when the old man dies.

Translations

See also

probably etymologically unrelated terms

French

Noun

mammy f (plural mammys)

  1. Alternative spelling of mamie

Polish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈmam.mɨ/
  • Rhymes: -ammɨ
  • Syllabification: mam‧my

Verb

mammy

  1. first-person plural imperative of mamić
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.