comare

Catalan

Etymology

From Late Latin commāter, from com- (“together”) + māter (“mother”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [kuˈma.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [koˈma.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [koˈma.ɾe]

Noun

comare f (plural comares)

1. co-mother (child's godmother in relation to their parents)

   Coordinate term: compare

2. (Valencia, Balearic) midwife
3. (colloquial) gossip, busybody
4. (derogatory) procuress

Synonyms

• (midwife): llevadora
• (gossip): xafardera

Derived terms

• comaratge
• comarejar
• comareta

Further reading

• “comare” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Italian

Alternative forms

• commare (archaic)

Etymology

From Late Latin commāter, from com- (“together”) + māter (“mother”). Cognate with Catalan comare, Neapolitan cummà, Sicilian cummari, Galician, Spanish, and Portuguese comadre, French commère, Norman conméthe, Romanian cumătră.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koˈma.re/
• Rhymes: -are
• Hyphenation: co‧mà‧re

Noun

comare f (plural comari, masculine compare)

1. a child's godmother in relation to their parents: a cummer, co-mother; or a child's mother in relation to their co-mother and her family

   Synonym: madrina

   Le allegre comari di Windsor ― The Merry Wives of Windsor

2. (extensively) a female wedding witness or maid of honor in relation to the spouses, or a bride in relation to her wedding witness

   Synonyms: testimone, testimone di nozze

3. (extensively, humorous, sometimes derogatory) gossipmonger

   Synonym: pettegola

4. (extensively, informal) mistress (married man's female lover)

   Synonym: amante

Descendants

• → English: goomah

Anagrams

• Morace, acrome, camero, camerò, com'era, corame, macero, macerò, racemo

Latin

Verb

cōmāre

1. second-person singular present passive subjunctive of cōmō