μαῖα

μαῖα, ἡ,

• good mother, form of address to old women, Hom. (only in Od.), always in voc., usu. addressed to Eurycleia, the nurse of Odysseus, Od. 19.482, al.; but also to Eurynome the ταμίη, 17.499: hence not only of nurses, cf. h.Cer. 147, Ar. Ec. 915 (lyr.).
• • • 2 later, foster-mother, E. Hipp. 243 (anap.), Antiph. 159.6; also, a true mother, μαῖα δὴ κάτω βέβακεν E. Alc. 393 (lyr.): metaph., of the earth, ἰὼ γαῖα μαῖα A. Ch. 44 (lyr.), cf. S. Fr. 959.
    • 3 midwife, Pl. Tht. 149a, Isyll. 54, Sor. 2.3, al., etc.
    • • b lady doctor, Gal. 14.641.
    • 4 in Dor., grandmother, Iamb. VP 11.56, IG 12(3).1120 (Melos).
  • II large kind of crab, Arist. HA 525b4, al.
  • III a plant, = λεπίδιον, Orib. Fr. 102. (Prob. from same Root as μήτηρ.)

μαῖα, ἡ, eigtl. die Amme, Eur. Hipp. 243, 311 ; bei Hom. freundliche, ehrende Anrede an ältere Frauen, bes. an solche, die Wärterinnen, Ammen der Kinder gewesen sind, liebes Mütterchen, im voc., Od. 2.349, 19.482 u. öfter Anrede an die Eurykleia ; H.h. Cer. 147 ; ἰὼ Γαῖα μαῖα, Aesch. Ch. 43, wie μᾶ γᾶ, Mutter Erde ; vgl. Eur. Alc. 394.
Bei den Doriern = Großmutter, Iambl. v. Pyth. 11.56 ; – die Hebamme, Plat. Theaet. 149a ff.; VLL.
Bei Arist. H.A. 4.2 eine große Art Meerkrebs. – S. auch nom. pr.

μαῖα

ἡ

[perh. fr. μα-, μήτηρ.]

A word of address to a woman older than the speaker, good mother, dame, gossip Od. 2.349, 372, Od. 17.499, Od. 19.16, 482, 500, Od. 20.129, Od. 23.11, 35, 59, 81, 171.

μαῖα (cf. μήτηρ): voc., used esp. in addressing the old nurse, ‘good mother,’ ‘aunty,’ Od. 20.129, Od. 23.11.

μαῖα, ἡ,

• • • 1good mother, dame, Od.
    • 2a fostermother, nurse, Eur.:—also a true mother, Aesch., Eur.
    • 3a midwife, Plat.