Mother 83430 224370802 2008-07-08T15:41:49Z Sky83 7184432 /* Synonyms and translations */ {{pp-semi|small=yes}} {{Expand|date=April 2008}} {{dablink|For other uses, see [[Mother (disambiguation)]].}} :''"Mom", "Mum", and "Mommy" redirect here. For other uses, see [[Mom (disambiguation)]], [[Mum (disambiguation)]] and [[Mommy (disambiguation)]].'' {{Redirect|Moms|the Scandinavian tax called MOMS|Value Added Tax}} ---- {{wiktionary|mother}} [[Image:Daisy Romwall from Morro Bay, United States.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Mother and child]] [[Image:MonumentoMadre.JPG|thumb|200px|right|Monumento a la Madre in [[Mexico City]]. The inscription translates "To she who loves us before she meets us."]] A '''mother''' is a [[biological]] and/or [[Maternal bond|social]] [[female]] [[parent]] of an offspring. In the case of a [[mammal]] such as a [[human]], the biological mother [[gestation|gestates]] a fertilized [[ovum]], which is called first an [[embryo]], and then a [[fetus]]. This gestation occurs in the mother's [[uterus]] from [[conception (biology)|conception]] until the fetus is sufficiently developed to be born. The mother then goes into labor and gives [[childbirth|birth]]. Once the child is born, the mother produces [[milk]] in a process called [[lactation]] to feed the child; often the mother's breast milk is the child's sole nourishment for the first year or more of the child's life. The title ''mother'' is often given to a woman other than the biological parent, if it is she who fulfills the social role. This is most commonly either an [[adoption|adoptive]] mother or a [[stepmother]] (the biologically unrelated [[wife]] of a child's [[father]]). Also, in both [[African-American]] and [[lesbian]] cultures non-biological [[othermother]]s exist. Currently, with advances in [[reproductive technologies]], the function of biological motherhood can be split between the genetic mother (who provides the ovum) and the gestational mother (who carries the [[pregnancy]]), and in theory neither might be the social mother (the one who brings up the child). Mothers have historically fulfilled the primary role in the raising of children, but since the late 20th century, the role of the father in child care has been given greater prominence in most Western countries.<ref>[http://pascal.iseg.utl.pt/~cisep/conferencias/conferencia_20021016/Papers/kjeldstad55.PDF "In most Western countries the family model of a sole male breadwinner is in full retreat."] Accessed [[19 September]] [[2007]].</ref><ref>[http://www.ucgstp.org/lit/gn/gn064/fathersimportant.htm Why Are Fathers Important?] Interview with Dr. Ross Parke, professor of psychology at the University of California at Riverside, author of ''Fatherhood'' (1966) and co-author of ''Throwaway Dads'' (1999). Accessed 19 September 2007.</ref> The experience of motherhood varies greatly depending upon location. The organization [[Save the Children]] has ranked the countries of the world, and found that [[Scandinavia]]n countries are the best places to be a mother, whereas countries in [[sub-Saharan Africa]] are the worst.<ref>Save the Children, [http://www.savethechildren.net/alliance/what_we_do/newsdesk/2006-05-08b.html State of the World's Mothers Report 2006].</ref> A mother in the bottom 10 countries is over 750 times more likely to [[maternal mortality|die in pregnancy or childbirth]], compared to a mother in the top 10 countries, and a mother in the bottom 10 countries is 28 times more likely to [[infant mortality|see her child die]] before reaching his or her first birthday. ==Synonyms and translations== The proverbial "first word" of an infant often sounds like "ma" or "mama". This strong association of that sound with "mother" has persisted in nearly every language on earth, countering the natural localization of language. Familiar or colloquial terms for ''mother'' in English are: * ''mom'' or ''mommy'', in most of North America (especially the U.S.). It is used widely in the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]], in the UK. * ''mum'' or ''mummy'', is used in the [[UK]], [[Netherlands]], [[Australia]], and [[New Zealand]] * ''Ma'', ''Mam'' or ''Mammy'' is used in [[Ireland]] and sometimes in the [[UK]] and the [[US]]. * ''Maa'',''Amaa'',''Maataa'' is used in [[India]] and sometimes in neighboring countries * "mama" is used in many countries, but is considered a [[Spanish language|Spanish]] form of "mother" In many other languages, similar pronunciations apply: *''mama'' in [[Polish language|Polish]] and [[Slovak language|Slovak]] *''māma'' in [[Mandarin Chinese]] *''máma'' in [[Czech language|Czech]] *''maman'' in French and [[Persian language|Persian]] *''mamma'' in Italian *''mãe'' in Portuguese *''mama'' in Swahili *''eema'' (אמא) in Hebrew *''umma'' (엄마) in [[Korean]] *''Mama'', borrowed from the English, is in common use in Japan. *In many south Asian cultures and the Middle East the mother is known as ''amma'' or ''oma'' or ''ammi'' or "ummi", or variations thereof. Many times these terms denote affection or a maternal role in a child's life. ==Legendary & mythological mothers== * [[Bithiah]] * [[Gaia (mythology)|Gaia]] * [[Hagar (Bible)|Hagar]] * [[Isis]] * [[Jocasta]], mother of [[Oedipus]], important in [[Freudian psychology]] * [[Juno (mythology)|Juno]] * [[Queen Maya]] * [[Euripides]]' ''[[Medea]]'' * [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]] * [[Demeter]] == See also == {{commonscat|Mothers}} * [[Mary]] * [[Attachment parenting]] * [[Breastfeeding]] * [[Jungian archetypes]] * [[Lactation]] * [[Matriarch]] * [[Matricide]] * [[Mother Goose]] * [[Matrilocality]] * [[Mother insult]] * [[Mother's Day]] * [[Mothers rights]] * [[Nuclear family]] * [[Oedipus complex]] * [[Parenting]] * [[Psychological bond]] * [[Mother ship]] * [[Mother goddess]] * [[Mother Superior]] or [[Abbess]] ==Notes== {{reflist}} {{Western kinship}} {{Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights}} [[Category:Family]] [[Category:Human development]] [[Category:Interpersonal relationships]] [[Category:Mythological archetypes]] [[Category:Women]] <!-- interwiki --> [[af:Moeder]] [[ar:أم]] [[an:Mai]] [[ay:Tayka]] [[bn:মা]] [[bs:Majka]] [[br:Mamm]] [[bg:Майка]] [[ca:Mare]] [[cs:Matka]] [[de:Mutter]] [[et:Ema]] [[es:Madre]] [[eo:Patrino]] [[fr:Mère]] [[ko:어머니]] [[it:Madre]] [[kn:ತಾಯಿ]] [[rw:Mama]] [[la:Mater]] [[lt:Mama]] [[lij:Moæ]] [[mg:Reny]] [[ml:അമ്മ]] [[mr:आई]] [[nl:Moeder]] [[nds-nl:Moor (meens)]] [[new:आमा]] [[ja:母親]] [[no:Mor]] [[nn:Mor]] [[pl:Matka]] [[pt:Mãe]] [[ro:Mamă]] [[simple:Mother]] [[sk:Matka (biológia)]] [[sr:Мајка]] [[fi:Äiti]] [[sv:Moder]] [[ta:தாய்]] [[te:తల్లి]] [[th:แม่]] [[chr:ᎤᏂᏥ]] [[tr:Anne]] [[uk:Мати]] [[yi:מוטער]] [[zh-yue:阿媽]] [[zh:母親]]