What does "baba" mean?
A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
Baba
/ˈbɑːbɑː/ name, noun
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
- Grammar: baba is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: father, grandmother.
- Usage evidence: Of the sweets that I tasted in France, the ones that I'd like to eat most are the brioche, the baba au rhum and the marrons glacés.
How to use "baba"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "baba" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "baba" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "baba" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "baba" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "baba" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "father" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "baba", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup. countable, uncountable
"The trolley of fresh local cheeses, including the region's pride, mozzarella di bufala, is as attractive as the trolley of classic Neapolitan desserts, including pastiera napolitana (a ricotta cake with orange rind), feather-light baba, and, in mid-March, zeppola di San Giuseppe (whose feast day is March 19), a sweet bun filled with custard and black cherry."
- 2 A male Peranakan. Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore
- 3 a small cake leavened with yeast wordnet
- 4 A grandmother. countable
"My baba, Ksenia Dubinsky, tells me that my education makes her proud."
- 5 An old woman, especially a traditional old woman from an eastern European culture. countable
"Only two women, typical "babas" (peasant women) in the house from which I got my quilt and bedcloth, could be coaxed to pose;"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A father. countable
"The first time I signed my exercise I wrote "Pisistratus Caxton" in my best round-hand. "And dey call your baba a scholar!" said the Doctor, contemptuously."
- 7 A holy man, a spiritual leader. Hinduism, Sikhism, countable
"While I was in Port Alberni, three babas came to Canada to raise money ..."
- 8 A baby, child. British, India, countable
"That is to say, if I do not take care, I shall go on calling my darling 'Baba' till she is as old as her mamma, and has a dozen Babas of her own."
- 9 In baby talk, often used for a variety of words beginning with b, such as bottle or blanket. countable
"Oh, it's storytime! Let me get my baba."
Proper Noun
- 1 Synonym of Set (“Egyptian god”).
- 2 Abbreviation of Alibaba. abbreviation, alt-of
"As a result, PDD’s market cap has soared to $195.9 billion, eclipsing Alibaba’s (BABA) $190.5 billion. It’s the first time PDD has surpassed its older rival, according to data provider Refinitiv Eikon."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Of the sweets that I tasted in France, the ones that I'd like to eat most are the brioche, the baba au rhum and the marrons glacés."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "baba"?
Common synonyms include: father, grandmother.
How do you use "baba" in a sentence?
Of the sweets that I tasted in France, the ones that I'd like to eat most are the brioche, the baba au rhum and the marrons glacés.
How do you pronounce "baba"?
Pronounced /ˈbɑːbɑː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
As one of the first utterances many babies are able to say, baba (like mama, papa, and dada) has come to be used in many languages as a term for various family members: * father: Albanian, Arabic, Western Armenian, Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Greek, Marathi, Mingrelian, Nepali, Persian, Swahili, Turkish, Yoruba, Shona, Zulu * grandmother: many Slavic languages (such as Bulgarian, Russian, Czech and Polish; a doublet of bubbe), Romanian, Yiddish, Japanese * grandfather: Azerbaijani, Zulu (father, grandfather) * baby: Afrikaans, Sinhala, Hungarian These terms often continue to be used by English speakers whose families came from one of these cultures. In some cases, they may become more widely used in localities that have been heavily influenced by an immigrant community. Some senses were extensions of one of these family terms in the original languages ("old woman" from "grandmother", "holy man" from "father"). The "cake" sense comes through French, from Polish baba (“old woman”). The Middle Eastern word baba (as in Ali Baba) is rather a term of endearment, and is ultimately derived from Persian بابا (bābā, “father”) (from Old Persian pāpa; as opposed to the Arabic words أَبُو (ʔabū) and أَب (ʔab); see also Papak), and is linguistically related to the common European word papa and the word pope, having the same Indo-European origin. The Chinese word "baba", meaning father, comes from 爸爸.
Etymology 2
From Malay Baba or baba.