بابا

See also: بابو, بابه, and پاپا

Arabic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baː.baː/

Etymology 1

From Latin pāpa.

Noun

بَابَا • (bābā) m (plural بَابَوَات (bābawāt) or بَابَاوَات (bābāwāt))

1. (Christianity) pope, patriarch

Usage notes

• The Bishop of Rome is often specified as بَابَا ٱلْفاتِيكان (bābā l-fātīkān, literally “Pope of the Vatican”) to distinguish him from the Coptic pope.

Declension

Declension of noun بَابَا (bābā)

Singular	singular invariable
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَابَا bābā	الْبَابَا al-bābā	بَابَا bābā
Nominative	بَابَا bābā	الْبَابَا al-bābā	بَابَا bābā
Accusative	بَابَا bābā	الْبَابَا al-bābā	بَابَا bābā
Genitive	بَابَا bābā	الْبَابَا al-bābā	بَابَا bābā
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَابَاوَيْن bābāwayn	الْبَابَاوَيْن al-bābāwayn	بَابَاوَيْ bābāway
Nominative	بَابَاوَانِ bābāwāni	الْبَابَاوَانِ al-bābāwāni	بَابَاوَا bābāwā
Accusative	بَابَاوَيْنِ bābāwayni	الْبَابَاوَيْنِ al-bābāwayni	بَابَاوَيْ bābāway
Genitive	بَابَاوَيْنِ bābāwayni	الْبَابَاوَيْنِ al-bābāwayni	بَابَاوَيْ bābāway
Plural	sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَابَوَات‎; بَابَاوَات bābawāt‎; bābāwāt	الْبَابَوَات‎; الْبَابَاوَات al-bābawāt‎; al-bābāwāt	بَابَوَات‎; بَابَاوَات bābawāt‎; bābāwāt
Nominative	بَابَوَاتٌ‎; بَابَاوَاتٌ bābawātun‎; bābāwātun	الْبَابَوَاتُ‎; الْبَابَاوَاتُ al-bābawātu‎; al-bābāwātu	بَابَوَاتُ‎; بَابَاوَاتُ bābawātu‎; bābāwātu
Accusative	بَابَوَاتٍ‎; بَابَاوَاتٍ bābawātin‎; bābāwātin	الْبَابَوَاتِ‎; الْبَابَاوَاتِ al-bābawāti‎; al-bābāwāti	بَابَوَاتِ‎; بَابَاوَاتِ bābawāti‎; bābāwāti
Genitive	بَابَوَاتٍ‎; بَابَاوَاتٍ bābawātin‎; bābāwātin	الْبَابَوَاتِ‎; الْبَابَاوَاتِ al-bābawāti‎; al-bābāwāti	بَابَوَاتِ‎; بَابَاوَاتِ bābawāti‎; bābāwāti

Related terms

• بَابَوِيّ (bābawiyy)
• بَابَوِيَّة (bābawiyya)

Etymology 2

From baby talk.

Noun

بَابَا • (bābā) m

1. (childish) papa, daddy, father

Declension

Declension of noun بَابَا (bābā)

Singular	singular invariable
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَابَا bābā	الْبَابَا al-bābā	بَابَا bābā
Nominative	بَابَا bābā	الْبَابَا al-bābā	بَابَا bābā
Accusative	بَابَا bābā	الْبَابَا al-bābā	بَابَا bābā
Genitive	بَابَا bābā	الْبَابَا al-bābā	بَابَا bābā

Hijazi Arabic

Etymology

From baby talk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baː.ba/, [bɑː.bɑ]

Noun

بابا • (bāba) m (plural بَابَوَات (bābāwāt) or بَابَهات (bābāhāt))

1. papa, daddy, father

   Synonyms: أبو (abu), والد (wālid)

Usage notes

The mentioned plurals are rarely used, while the most common plural is أَبَّهات (abbahāt) which stems from the Classical Arabic word أَبْ (ʔab).

Khalaj

Noun

بابا (bâba) (definite accusative باباݧ, plural بابالار)

1. Arabic spelling of bâba (“father”)

Declension

Declension of بابا

	singular	plural
nominative	بابا	بابالار
genitive	باباݧ	بابالارؽݧ
dative	باباقا	بابالارقا
definite accusative	باباݧ	بابالارؽ
locative	باباچا	بابالارچا
ablative	بابادا	بابالاردا
instrumental	بابالا	بابالارلا
equative	باباوارا	بابالاروارا

Ottoman Turkish

Noun

بابا • (baba)

1. papa, daddy, father

   Synonyms: پدر (peder), والد (vâlid)

2. a post of stout timber set upright, a stanchion

Declension

declension of بابا

	singular (مفرد)	plural (جمع)
nominative	بابا (baba)	بابالر (babalar)
genitive	بابانڭ (babanıñ)	بابالرڭ (babalarıñ)
dative	بابایه (babaya)	بابالره (babalara)
definite accusative	بابایی (babayı)	بابالری (babaları)
locative	باباده (babada)	بابالرده (babalarda)
ablative	بابادن (babadan)	بابالردن (babalardan)

Derived terms

• آق بابا (ak baba, “vulture”)

Related terms

• انا (ana, “mother”)

Descendants

• Turkish: baba
  • → German: baba
• → Albanian: baba
• → Armenian: (Constantinople) պապա (papa), (Van) բաբա (baba)
• → Laz: ბაბა (baba)

References

• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “بابا”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[1], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 314

Pashto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɑˈbɑ/

Noun

بابا • (bābā́) m

1. (informal) dad, daddy
2. grandfather

Declension

declension of بابا

	singular		plural
direct	بابا (bābā)		باباګان (bābāgān)
oblique	بابا (bābā)		باباګانو (bābāgāno)
vocative	بابا (bābā)		باباګانو (bābāgāno)

Synonyms

• (father): پلار

Persian

Alternative forms

• بابو (bâbo) (dialectal, Shiraz)
• ببا (bobâ) (dialectal)
• بوا (bovâ) (dialectal, Kazerun, Bushehr, Khesht, Konartakhteh, Dashtestan)
• ببو (bobo) (dialectal, Abadeh)
• بو (bow) (dialectal, Kazerun)

Etymology

Originally from baby talk, see mama and papa.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [bɑː.ˈβɑː]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [bɑː.bɑ́ː], [bɑː.bɑ́ːj]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [bɑː.bɑ́ː], [bɑː.bɑ́ːj]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [bɑː.bɑ́ː], [bɑː.bɑ́ːj]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [bɔː.bɔ́ː], [bɔː.bɔ́ːj]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [bɒː.bɒ́ː]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [bɔ.bɔ́]

Readings
Classical reading?	bāḇā
Dari reading?	bābā, bābāy
Iranian reading?	bâbâ
Tajik reading?	bobo

• Audio (Iran):

  (file)

Noun

Dari	بابا
Iranian Persian
Tajik	бобо

بابا • (bâbâ)

1. (colloquial) dad, daddy, father

   Synonyms: پاپا (pâpâ), پدر (pedar, “father”)

   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی, volume III, verse 1174:

     بعد از آن گفتند ای مادر بیا / گور بابا کو تو ما را ره نما

     ba'd az ân goftand ey mâdar biy-â / gur-e bâbâ ku to mâ râ rah namâ

     Afterwards they said, "Come, O mother, where is our father's grave? Do thou show us the way."

2. (colloquial) grandpa, grandfather

   Synonyms: بابابزرگ (bâbâ-bozorg), پدربزرگ (pedar-bozorg, “grandfather”)

3. (colloquial) fellow

Derived terms

• ای بابا (ey bâbâ)
• بابا نوئل (Bâbâ No'el)
• بابابزرگ (bâbâ-bozorg)

 

Descendants

• → Khalaj: bâba

South Levantine Arabic

Alternative forms

• يابا (yāba)

Etymology

From baby talk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bˤaː.bˤa/, [ˈbˤɑː.bˤɑ]

• Audio (Ramallah):

  (file)

Noun

بابا • (ḅāḅa) m

1. dad, papa
2. an affectionate form of address used by a father to his child

See also

• أب (ʔabb, “father”)
• ماما (ṃāṃa, “mom”)

Urdu

Noun

بابا • (bābā) m (Hindi spelling बाबा)

1. papa, daddy, father

Ushojo

Etymology

From Pashto بابا (bābā).

Noun

بابا (bābā)

1. elder, grandfather