Probably related tom-.

ma-

1. Non-productive prefix without a specific meaning.

In words where this prefix can be found, it takes the place of the first syllable of the original word, usually with no change in meaning (compareudare andmadari, both meaning "pear"). It is likely that originally this was an expressive prefix, and that many Basque words starting withma- contain this prefix, with the original word having been lost.

• “ma-” inEtymological Dictionary of Basque byR. L. Trask, sussex.ac.uk

ma-

1. Used to form adjectives indicating a quality

   ‎ma- + ‎linig(“to clean”) → ‎malinig(“clean”)

2. Object IV trigger infinitive verb prefix

   ‎ma- + ‎dumog(“wet”) → ‎madumog(“to become wet”)

3. Object trigger to have done something; to be able to do something

   ‎ma- + ‎tapos(“finish”) → ‎matapos(“to be able to finish something”)

   Natapos kong basahon an libro kasubanggi. ―I was able to finish reading the book last night.

4. Object trigger to perform the action of the verb unintentionally

   ‎ma- + ‎pasa(“broken, break”) → ‎mapasa(“to break something unintentionally”)

   Napasa ko an salming. ―Iunintentionally broke the mirror.Compare it when used with the suffix-on:

   pasa(“broken, break”) +-on →pasaon(“to break something on purpose”)

   Pinasa ko an salming. ―Ibroke the mirror on purpose.

5. to form the future tense of the verb.

ma-

1. Used to form adjectives indicating a quality
2. Used to form the future tense of a verb

Cognate to the set of prefixes found inArabic:مُ(mu) for agentive participles,مَ(ma) for locatives, andمِ(mi) for instrumentals.

• IPA^(key):/má-/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa)IPA^(key):[mə́-]

ma-

1. Used to formagentive nouns.
2. Used to form nouns of place (locative nouns).
3. Used to forminstrumental nouns.

Each prefix forms a different template to which the noun must conform:

• Agentive nouns end in-ī in the masculine singular,-ìyā in the feminine singular, and-ā in the plural, and the root has low tone in the masculine and plural, but high tone in the feminine.
• Locative nouns end in-ā and are feminine, or uncommonly in-ī and are masculine, with all high tone in either case. There is rarely a plural form.
• Instrumental nouns end in-ī and are masculine, with plurals in-ai. The tones of the singular form are all high, and in the plural the tones are all low except for the plural morpheme.

ma-

1. Rōmaji transcription ofま

ma-

1. first person plural exclusive nominativeproclitic

FromProto-Bantu*mà-.

ma-

1. class 6 prefix

ma-

1. Adjective prefix

FromProto-Bantu*mà-.

ma-

1. Class 6 noun prefix.

(Thisetymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium.)

ma-

1. active verb

• a-
• (m)aN-
• -um-

ma-

1. away (prefixed to verbs)

• The hyphen is normally kept, for example,ma-pitjanyi.
• Althoughma- is spelt with a shorta, the vowel is actually long (maa-). The misleading spelling exists for historical reasons.

FromProto-Bantu*mà-.

ma-

1. Class 6 noun prefix.

FromProto-Bantu*mà-.

ma-

1. Class 6 noun prefix.

• me-(beforei ande)

FromProto-Bantu*mà-.

• Audio(Kenya):

  (file)

ma-

1. ma class_(VI) noun prefix and adjective agreement prefix, denoting mass nouns and plurals of a variety of classes

   majimachafu ―dirty water

   1. forms plurals ofji class_(V) nouns

      ‎jicho(“eye”) → ‎macho(“eyes”)

      ‎jambo(“thing”) → ‎mambo(“things”)

      ‎chungwa(“orange”) → ‎machungwa(“oranges”)

      ‎jitu(“giant”) → ‎majitu(“giants”)

   2. forms plurals of someu class_(XI) nouns

      ‎ugomvi(“quarrel”) → ‎magomvi(“quarrels”)

   3. forms collectives ofn class_(IX) nouns

      ‎ma- + ‎rafiki(“friend”) → ‎marafiki(“group of friends”)

• Appendix:Swahili noun classes

FromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*ma-, fromProto-Austronesian*ma-(stative prefix). Comparemay(existential marker).

• (Standard Tagalog)IPA^(key):/ma/[mɐ]
• Syllabification:ma-

ma- (Baybayin spellingᜋ)

1. used to form adjectives indicating a quality

   ‎ma- + ‎linis(“cleanliness”) → ‎malinis(“clean”)

2. (actor III trigger prefix):infinitive form

   ‎ma- + ‎ligo(“bath”) → ‎maligo(“to take a bath; to bathe”)

3. (object IV trigger prefix):infinitive form

   ‎ma- + ‎basa(“wet”) → ‎mabasa(“to become wet”)

   1. to have done something; to be able to do something

      ‎ma- + ‎tapos(“finish”) → ‎matapos(“to be able to finish something”)

      Natapos kong basahin ang libro kagabi. ―I was able to finish reading the book last night.

   2. to perform the action of the verb unintentionally

      Coordinate term:-in

      ‎ma- + ‎basag(“break, crack”) → ‎mabasag(“to break something unintentionally”)

      Nabasag ko ang salamin. ―Ibroke the mirror (unintentionally)

• Usingma- implies that the action performed is unintentional, while-in is used when the action was done on purpose:

  basag(“break, crack”) +-in →basagin(“to break something on purpose”)

  Binasag ko ang salamin. ―Ibroke the mirror (on purpose)

FromProto-Austronesian*ma-(future prefix).

• (Standard Tagalog)IPA^(key):/ˈma/[ˈmaː]
• Syllabification:ma-

má- (Baybayin spellingᜋ)(dialectal)

1. used to form contemplative aspects of verbs prefixed withum- or infixed with-um-

• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*ma-”, in the CLDF dataset fromThe Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–),→DOI

• am

• (Sinūgan Parianun)IPA^(key):/ma/[ma]
• Syllabification:ma-

ma- (Sulat Sūg spellingمَ)

1. Used to form adjectives and adverbs; characterized by; abundant in

ma- (Jawiم-)

1. (non-human)third-person singular and plural possessive prefix,its,their
2. indicates definiteness

   haka ngorimaobo ―give methe bone (literally, “give meits bone”)

   mangofa hotu ―the child sleeps (literally, “its child sleeps”)

ma- (Jawiم-)

1. marks certain verbal aspects
   1. indicates prolonged duration
   2. indicates repeated action

      ‎ma- + ‎kokehe(“to cough”) → ‎makokehe(“to cough repeatedly”)

   3. indicates habitual action
   4. indicates an action undertaken by multiple subjects

ma- (Jawiم-)

1. reflexive

   ‎ma- + ‎doto(“to teach”) → ‎madoto(“to learn”)

   ‎ma- + ‎hodo(“to pour”) → ‎mahodo(“to bathe”)

   ‎ma- + ‎ngadi(“to clothe (another)”) → ‎mangadi(“to put on clothes, to don”)

• Frederik Sigismund Alexander de Clercq (1890)Bijdragen tot de kennis der Residentie Ternate, E.J. Brill
• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001)A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

FromProto-Bantu*mà-.

ma-

1. Class 6 noun prefix.

FromProto-Bantu*mà-.

ma-

1. Class 6 noun prefix.

FromProto-Bantu*mà-.

ma-

1. Class 6 noun prefix.

• IPA^(key):/ma/

ma-

1. a prefix of unclear meaning

   ‎ma- + ‎gei(“to be dead”) → ‎magei(“to die”)

   ‎ma- + ‎dadi(“to become”) → ‎madadi(“to be, exist”)

The prefixma- is subject to West Makianvowel harmony, and as such may surface asme-,mi-, ormo-.

• me-,mi-,mo-

• IPA^(key):/ma/

ma-

1. first-person plural inclusive clitic,we

   moco ―we see

The prefixma- follows West Makianvowel harmony, and as such may surface asme-,mi-, ormo-.

• me-,mi-,mo-

• IPA^(key):/ma/

ma-

1. (animate)third-person singular clitic for stative verbs,it

   madadi sangaji ―he became a chief

   di oma mamakaku i ―their childis stillsmall

This clitic is only for stative verbs and does not undergo vowel harmony.

• IPA^(key):/ma/

ma-

1. (animate)third-person singular possessive prefix,his,hers, that person's, that being's

The possessive prefixma- is subject to West Makianvowel harmony, and as such may surface asme-,mi-, ormo-.

• me-,mi-,mo-

• IPA^(key):/ma/

ma-

1. forms adverbial numerals

   ‎ma- + ‎minye(“one”) → ‎maminye(“once”)

   ‎ma- + ‎unge(“three”) → ‎maunge(“thrice”)

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982)The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[1], Pacific linguistics

From a clipping ofmakhe(“hortative marker”).

ma-

1. let,may;gives a verb ahortative force.

   Masihambe!

   Let's go!

The prefix is attached to the subjunctive form of the verb, before the subject concord.

FromProto-Bantu*mà-.

ma-

1. Class 6 simple noun prefix.

From a clipping ofmake(“hortative marker”).

ma-

1. let,may;gives a verb ahortative force.

   Masihambe!

   Let's go!

The prefix is attached to the subjunctive form of the verb, before the subject concord.

• a-

• C. M. Doke,B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “ma-”, inZulu-English Dictionary,→ISBN: “ma-”