Babelist
/ˈbeɪbəlɪst/noun
A person who speaks in a confused or unintelligible manner, or, rarely, one who speaks many languages.
Did you know?Babel comes from the biblical place-name Babel, traditionally linked with the Hebrew verb bālal, “to mix” or “confuse,” though scholars regard that connection as a biblical wordplay rather than the name’s certain original etymology.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Hebrew
Hebrew
Bāḇel
“The biblical name for Babylon; Genesis associates it with confusion of language.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Bábylōn
“Babylon, rendered in Greek biblical and historical texts.”
Old French
Old French
Babel
“Babel or Babylon, especially in biblical usage.”
Middle English
English
Babel
“A place or scene of confused speech; later, figuratively, a confused multitude of voices.”
19th Century
English
Babelist
“A person speaking confusedly or in a babel; occasionally, a person speaking multiple languages.”
Modern English
English
Babelist
“A rare noun for someone whose speech is confused or difficult to understand, with an occasional polyglot sense.”