Avar

Alternative forms

• буба ‎(buba)

Noun

баба • ‎(baba)

1. mother; mom, mum

See also

• эбел ‎(èbel)

Bulgarian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *baba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbabə/

Noun

баба • ‎(bába) f

1. grandmother, grandma, granny, gran
2. old woman, goody, granny
3. mother-in-law (one’s wife’s mother)
4. midwife, wise woman
5. wise woman, sorceress, witch
6. woman, weakling, milksop, mollycoddle, molly, old maid
7. monkey

Inflection

Macedonian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *baba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaba/

Noun

баба • ‎(baba) f ‎(plural баби)

1. grandmother, grandma, granny, gran
2. old woman, goody, granny
3. mother-in-law (one’s wife’s mother)
4. midwife

Inflection

Old Church Slavonic

Alternative forms

• (Glagolitic): ⰱⰰⰱⰰ ‎(baba)

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *baba.

Noun

баба • ‎(baba) f

1. grandmother
2. midwife
3. wet nurse

Old East Slavic

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *baba.

Noun

баба ‎(baba) f

1. married woman
2. midwife
3. fortune teller, hex
4. (in the plural) women

Descendants

• Russian: ба́ба ‎(bába)
• Ukrainian: ба́ба ‎(bába)

References

• Sreznevskij, I. I. (1893), “баба”, in Materialy dlja slovarja drevne-russkago jazyka po pisʹmennym pamjatnikam [Materials for the Dictionary of the Old Russian Language According to Written Monuments] (in Russian), volume 1, Saint Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences, page 35

Russian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *baba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbabə]

Noun

ба́ба • ‎(bába) f anim, f inan ‎(genitive ба́бы, nominative plural ба́бы, genitive plural баб)

1. (disdainful) woman, countrywoman

   Все ба́бы — ду́ры; все мужики́ — сво́лочи‎ ― Vse báby — dúry; vse mužikí — svóloči ― "Every woman is stupid, every man a bastard" (contemporary Russian saying)

2. (childish) grandma, granny (short for бабушка)

   Ма́ма, а где ба́ба?‎ ― Máma, a gde bába? ― Mom, where’s grandma?

3. (informal or archaic) old woman (short for бабушка)

   Жи́ли-бы́ли дед да ба́ба‎ ― Žíli-býli ded da bába ― There once lived an old man and his old woman.

4. (colloquial, slang, pejorative) woman, female, broad

   Кто э́та ба́ба?‎ ― Kto éta bába? ― Who's that broad?

5. (obsolete) peasant’s wife, peasant woman
6. (weak man) milksop, old woman
7. (technical) ram (of pile driver)
8. (technical) drop weight
9. (cooking) baba (tall, cylindrical cake), bundt cake, gugelhupf

   ро́мовая ба́ба‎ ― rómovaja bába ― rum baba, rum cake

10. сне́жная ба́ба — snowman
11. ка́менная ба́ба — primitive stone statue

Declension

Related terms

• ба́бушка ‎(bábuška), бабёнка ‎(babjónka)
• Ба́ба-Яга́ ‎(Bába-Jagá), Бабий Яр ‎(Babij Jar)
• бабу́ся ‎(babúsja), ба́бка ‎(bábka), ба́бник ‎(bábnik), бабство ‎(babstvo)
• ба́бий ‎(bábij), бабский ‎(babskij)

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *baba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bâba/
• Hyphenation: ба‧ба

Noun

ба̏ба f ‎(Latin spelling bȁba)

1. grandmother
2. granny, grandma
3. (usually pejorative) old woman
4. (pejorative) female person

Declension

Synonyms

• (grandmother; grandma): ба́ка, нена

References

• “баба” in Hrvatski jezični portal

Ukrainian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *baba.

Pronunciation

Noun

ба́ба • ‎(bába) f anim ‎(genitive ба́би, nominative plural баби́)

1. grandmother, granny, old woman (in some cases maternal grandmother only).
2. name of a special, delicate ritual bread that is blessed by a priest at Easter (also called бабка, babka).
3. a name given to сніп (snip) at Christmas, a sheaf of grain (wheat or rye), brought into the home for Christmas Eve supper (svjatá večérja), placed in a corner of the room and later fed to livestock or cattle.
4. a fortune teller or witch, practising the art of віск зливати (wax pouring).
5. sexy bitch (girlfriend or wife).

Declension

References

• Bilodid I. K., editor (1970–1980), “баба”, in Slovnyk ukrajinsʹkoji movy, Kiev: Naukova Dumka