From Proto-Semitic *ʾimm-, a near-universal root shared across the Semitic family: Hebrew אֵם (em), Aramaic אִמָּא (immā), Amharic እናት (innat). The doubled final consonant (geminate م) is original to the root and reflects the emphatic, affectionate shortening of an older, longer nursery form — much like "mama" in Indo-European languages. The word is also used in Arabic as a prefix of honor: أُمّ الْكِتَاب ("mother of the Book") refers to the opening chapter of the Quran.

In Arab culture, the mother occupies an exceptionally revered position. A well-known hadith (saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad) states that Paradise lies beneath the feet of mothers (الجنة تحت أقدام الأمهات), illustrating how deeply motherhood is honored in Islamic tradition. The word أُمّ is also used in many compound place names and honorifics — Umm Kulthum (أم كلثوم), the legendary Egyptian singer, literally means "mother of Kulthum," following the widespread Arab custom of nicknaming parents after their eldest child (kunya). Be aware that in spoken dialects, the word may shift: Egyptian Arabic often uses مَامَا (māmā) in everyday speech, while أُمّ remains the standard Modern Standard Arabic form.