Where does “babah” come from?

babah (Malay) comes from Malay baba, from Malay bapa, from Kawi bapa, from Proto-Dravidian appa — father; A respectful term of address to a man.

Ancestry of “babah”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaybabafather
2Malaybapafather; mister, sir; God, the father of Creation
3Kawibapa—
4Proto-Dravidianappafather; A respectful term of address to a man
Every word from Proto-Dravidian appa →Every word from Kawi bapa →Every word from Malay bapa →
babah — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer