Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “baby” come from?

Baby comes from Middle English baby, from Middle English babe, from Middle English baban, from Old English baba, from Proto-Germanic bō-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰā-.

baby (English): A very young human, particularly from birth to a...

Definitions

  1. A very young human, particularly from birth to a...

Ancestry of “baby”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbaby—
2Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
3Old English-iġ-y, -ic
4Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
5Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
6Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

Words derived from “baby”

  • babysitter
  • babyhood
  • babyish
  • bae
  • crybaby
  • grandbaby
  • babyface
  • babylike
  • babycare
  • bushbaby
  • babyishness
  • babymaking
  • babycakes
  • babyishly
  • babygirl
  • babyhouse
  • babyproofing
  • Babygro
  • babyness
  • babygro
  • babykins
  • babyproof
  • prebaby
  • babywear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos →