Bab
/bæb/noun
A chiefly British dialectal term meaning a baby or a term of affection for a child.
Did you know?Unlike many English words, “bab” appears to come from reduplicated infant speech rather than a traceable Indo-European root, linking it to the sound-patterns behind words like “babe” and “babble.”
Etymological Timeline
Prehistoric nursery speech
Human speech
*ba-ba
“Reduplicated syllables resembling early infant vocalizations; reconstructed cautiously rather than directly recorded.”
Middle English
English
babe
“A very young child or infant; probably formed through nursery speech.”
16th Century
English
bab
“A shortened or altered form associated with “babe” and used for a baby or child.”
18th–19th Century
Northern English dialects
bab
“A baby, child, or affectionate form of address.”
Modern English
English
bab
“A chiefly regional British term for a baby or loved child.”