masa madre
/masa madɾe/from spelling rulesfeminine
The English phrase sourdough is masa madre in Spanish.
masa madre is a feminine noun.
Meaning: dough (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of masa (dough) and madre (mother).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, Pan de Masa Madre is most commonly used for sourdough. In Argentina, sourdough may be referred to as Pan de Fermentación Natural.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a feminine noun, it is preceded by the feminine article la when used in the singular.
How do you pronounce it?
/masa madɾe/
Did you know?
- Because masa can refer to any malleable substance, it is also the Spanish word for 'mass' in a physics context, such as the mass of an object.
- In Spanish, the concept of a 'mother' as a living starter is not unique to bread, as the same term madre is used to describe the bacterial culture used to start vinegar or kombucha.
- The word masa derives from the Ancient Greek word mâza, which specifically referred to a type of barley meal or bread cake.
Examples in context
- Me gustaría un pan de masa madre, por favor.I would like a sourdough bread, please.
- Voy a comprar un pan de levadura natural para el desayuno.I'm going to buy some sourdough bread for breakfast.
- La clave para hacer pan de masa vieja es una fermentación adecuada.The key to making sourdough bread is proper fermentation.
- La masa madre es muy importante.The sourdough is very important.
- Necesito comprar más masa madre.I need to buy more sourdough.
- Mi masa madre está muy activa hoy.My sourdough is very active today.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are in the kitchen preparing bread.
- Lucía¿Ya preparaste la masa madre, Javier?Have you prepared the sourdough yet, Javier?
- JavierSí, Lucía, ya está lista.Yes, Lucía, it is already ready.
- LucíaPerfecto, vamos a hacer el pan.Perfect, let's make the bread.
- JavierMe encanta el olor de la masa madre.I love the smell of the sourdough.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sourdough” translations and entries masa madre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries madre, masa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
