The terms “dad” and “mom” may be dated back to the 1500s and 1800s, respectively. Where and by whom these words were originally pronounced is unknown, as is the case with many etymologies. Even the Oxford English Dictionary admits that they have “no proof” as to where the term “dad” came from.

The term “mom” has a little different origin, and it’s usually assumed that it evolved from the much earlier word “mamma,” which can be dated back to the 1500s in English.

This may be traced back to Latin, when the word “mamma” signified “breast” or “teat.” We also acquired the words “Mammalia” and “mammal” from this term to describe animals that nurse their young.

While there is undoubtedly more variance in how you call your man-mum in different languages, comparable themes may be noticed.

The term “Papa” appears in various languages, including Russian, Hindi, Spanish, and English, as well as small variants in German (Papi), Icelandic (Pabbi), Swedish (Pappa), and a number of other languages throughout the world.

Similarly, the term for father is “Baba” or a version of it in Turkish, Greek, Swahili, Malay, and numerous other languages.