Where does “бабай” come from?

бабай (Bashkir) comes from Latvian bāba, from Proto-Balto-Slavic bā́ˀbāˀ — old woman.

бабай (Bashkir): old man

Definitions

  1. old man

Ancestry of “бабай”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latvianbābawoman
2Proto-Balto-Slavicbā́ˀbāˀold woman
Every word from Proto-Balto-Slavic bā́ˀbāˀ →Every word from Latvian bāba →