Where does “babe” come from?

Babe comes from Middle English baban, from Old English baba, from Proto-Germanic bō-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰā-, an imitative root for baby talk or stammering sounds.

babe (English): A baby or infant; a very young human or animal;...

Definitions

  1. A baby or infant; a very young human or animal;...

Ancestry of “babe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbabebabe, baby
2Old Englishbababoy, child
3Proto-Germanicbabô—
4Proto-Germanicbō-A stem meaning "father, brother, close male...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰā-to say

Words derived from “babe”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰā- →