Baba
/ˈbɑː.bə/noun
A familiar term for a father, grandfather, or older person in many languages; in English, it also appears in borrowed names and terms from other cultures.
Did you know?In many unrelated languages, forms like baba arise naturally from early infant speech—one reason the same-sounding word can mean father, old woman, or a revered elder across the world.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-language
Proto
*ba
“A reduplicated baby-speech syllable used for an early caregiver or elder address”
Ancient Greek
Greek
bábā
“An affectionate or familiar address for an older woman or nurse”
Middle Persian
Persian
bābā
“Father; sir; respected elder”
Old Church Slavonic
OCS
baba
“Old woman; grandmother”
Modern English
English
baba
“Borrowed term appearing in names, foods, and cultural titles from various languages”