Lexicon:Modern/ma-

ma-
Stage	Modern CLT
Pronunciation	/ˈma/
Part of speech	Prefix
Etymology	from Middle mā-, from mamē, from Proto mami
Related words	da-, sei-

ma- — the feminine authority gender prefix. Used for status and authority address words.

Notes

Distinct from casual sei- prefix. Used only for authority/status words. Shortened by constant use like any word said that often, but it kept the open vowel of Middle mā- where most words of its age broke to ae. It began as the word for a dominant partner rather than a parent, which is how it came to mark authority rather than kinship.