noun
- mother (used especially by children)
- a Black woman serving as a nurse to white children, especially in the American South
Usage: informal; chiefly dialectal
Usage: historical; often considered offensive
Examples
- The little boy called for his mammy when he scraped his knee.
- She still calls her mother ‘mammy’ even as an adult.
- The historical novel depicted the complex relationship between the plantation family and their mammy.
- Many consider the mammy stereotype harmful and demeaning.
- The child ran to mammy for comfort after the thunderstorm.
- Historical records show how mammies were often separated from their own families.