Learn Romanian › maică
maică
mother (old-fashioned/regional word, also a title for a nun) /ˈmajkə/
noun#3789 most common
Also: nun (form of address), Mother Superior (in "maică stareță")
Example sentences
Aceasta este maica mea.
This is my mother.
Maică-mea gătește bine.
My mom cooks well.
În mănăstire trăiesc mai multe maici.
Several nuns live in the monastery.
Maica stareță ne-a primit cu blândețe la poarta mănăstirii.
The mother superior received us kindly at the monastery gate.
Ia loc, maică, și odihnește-te puțin.
Sit down, dear, and rest a little.
Maicii Precista i se închinau credincioșii cu lumânări aprinse.
The faithful worshipped the Most Holy Mother with lit candles.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | maică | maici |
| Genitive | maicii | maicilor |
| Accusative | maică | maici |
| Vocative | maico | maicilor |
Word family
maicuțădear little mother (affectionate diminutive)
maică-mea/ta/sacolloquial possessive construction for my/your/his mother
Maica Domnuluithe Mother of God, i.e. the Virgin Mary
maică starețămother superior, abbess
Etymology
Maică came into Romanian from Slavic, most likely through Old Church Slavonic used in Orthodox worship. It is a cousin of Bulgarian and Serbian majka, mother, which go back to the Common Slavic word for mother. That Slavic word in turn descends from the same Proto-Indo-European root that gave Latin mater and English mother. In Romanian the word settled into a narrower, warmer, and more religious register than the everyday mamă.
Learn Romanian the way that sticks.
Every word here is a full Polylex card with native audio and spaced repetition, so 4,027 words actually move into long-term memory.
Start free
Every word here is a full Polylex card with native audio and spaced repetition, so 4,027 words actually move into long-term memory.
Start free