Mata

noun

noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A respectful title for a female spiritual leader or for a wife, mother, or grandmother of a male spiritual leader. India
  2. 2
    A Hindu goddess. India

    "While possession is usually limited to Bhilala men, the mata entered women too, endowing them with the power of clairvoyance, enabling them to identify the evil spirits or daakans in their midst. The mata spoke through the possessed, forecasting the future, directing people and events for her proper propitiation."

  3. 3
    A mother (also used as a term of address for a woman). India

Example

More examples

""Mata" means "eye" in Malay, "mata mata" is "an indefinite number of eyes"--or the police."

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit माता (mātā), nom.sg. of मातृ (mātṛ, “mother”). Doublet of mater and mother.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.