babe
noun/beɪb/
Etymology
From Middle English babe, a variant of earlier baban, perhaps from Old English *baba (“boy, child”), from Proto-West Germanic *babō, from Proto-Germanic *babô, reduplicated variant of *ba-, *bō- (“father, brother, close male relation”). cognates and related terms Related to Old Frisian bobba (“child”) (whence North Frisian babbe, babb, babe (“child”)), Old High German Babo (a male forename), see boy. Otherwise, origin obscure. Compare mama, dada, papa. Welsh baban (“baby”), believed by Skeat to be a mutation of maban, a diminutive of mab (“son”), is probably rather a borrowing from English. Cognate also with English bub.
- These events came to pass when he was but a babe.
- Though he possess sweet babes and loving wife, A home of peace by loyal friendships cheered, And love them more than death or happy life,1874, James Thomson, The City of Dreadful Night:
2
Slang An attractive person, especially a young woman.
- She's a real babe!
- During the 1980s, its vivid streetlife became a symbol of the “consumer socialism” that distinguished Hungary from other Eastern Bloc states, but Budapesters today are rather less enamoured of Váci: dressed-to-kill babes and their sugar daddies would rather pose in malls, and teenagers can find McDonald's anywhere, leaving Váci utterly dependent on tourists for its livelihood and bustle.2002, Charles Hebbert, Dan Richardson, The Rough Guide to Budapest, 2nd edition, London: Rough Guides, →ISBN, page 73:
3
Endearing A darling (a term of endearment).
- Hey, babe, how's about you and me getting together?
- But, Babe, you don't have to meet 'em if you don't want to.1916 March 11, Charles E. Van Loan, “His Folks”, in Saturday Evening Post:
1 more example
- But they don't know that your sweet loving, babe Was here when all my friends were gone1968 December 8, Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy, Stevie Wonder, “I’d Be a Fool Right Now”, in For Once in My Life, performed by Stevie Wonder, Tamla Records:
- Synonyms
- baby, child, infant, hottie, doll, fox, See: Thesaurus:beautiful woman, looker, beautiful person, darling, dear, love, sweetheart
- Derived terms
28 terms
babealicious, babehood, babe-in-a-cradle, babe in arms, babe in the wood, babe in the woods, babeish, babelet, babelike, babe magnet, babeship, babish, bikini babe, Blair's babes, booth babe, Busby Babe, Cumberbabe, cyberbabe, grandbabe, hog-babe, innocent as a newborn babe, innocent as the babe unborn, out of the mouths of babes, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, pit babe, scare-babe, spokesbabe, superbabe