baba

English

qual1=variously

noun
Definitions
  • A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
  • (esp. among people of East European ancestry) A grandmother.
  • An old woman, especially a traditional old woman from an eastern European culture.
  • (esp. among people of Indian ancestry) A father.
  • (Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism) A holy man, a spiritual leader.
  • (India) A baby, child.
  • In baby talk, often used for a variety of words beginning with b, such as bottle or blanket.

Etymology

Derived from Polish baba (old woman) derived from Persian بابا derived from Old Persian pāpa.

Origin

Old Persian

pāpa

Gloss

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms