እናት
ʾənat/ˈʔɨnːat/feminine
The Amharic word for mother is እናት (ʾənat).
The noun እናት refers to a female human who has given birth to or is parenting a child. It is used as a general noun for a mother and also functions as a title for a woman who is a mother.
Meaning: female (human) who gives birth to or parents a child (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
You can modify እናት to indicate possession. If you are addressing a male, adding the suffix -ህ (-h) creates the form እናትህ, meaning 'your mother (masculine)'. If you are addressing a female, adding the suffix -ሽ (-sh) creates the form እናትሽ, meaning 'your mother (feminine)'.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is ʾənat (IPA: /ˈʔɨnːat/).
Did you know?
- The Amharic word እናት is believed to be related to the word 'iná' in the Afar language and may have been borrowed from the Old Nubian word én.
- In certain religious contexts, the term እናት is used to refer to the Virgin Mary, who is often called the 'Mother of all' in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo tradition.
- In certain Ethiopian poetic traditions, the term for 'mother' can be used metaphorically to refer to the land or the nation, symbolizing a source of life and nourishment.
Examples in context
- እናትህን ትወዳታለህ፧Do you love your mother?This sentence is useful for practicing the form እናት.Tatoeba #3982225 by Balamax, translation #3982160 by Balamax
- እናትዬ በጣም ደስተኛ ነች።enatye betam des tegna nech.My mother is very happy.
- እናት እዚህ አለች።enat ezih alech.Mother is here.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their families at a cafe.
- ቤተልሔም Betelhemእናትህ ደህና ነች፧enatih dehna nech?Is your mother well?
- ዳዊት Dawitአዎ፣ እናቴ በጣም ደህና ነች።awo, enate betam dehna nech.Yes, my mother is very well.
- ቤተልሔም Betelhemእሷን ለማየት ፈልጌ ነበር።essuan lemayet felige neber.I wanted to see her.
- ዳዊት Dawitበኋላ እንገናኛለን።behwala ingenagnalen.We will meet later.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mother” translations and entries እናት, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries እናት, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
