babbitt
The origin and history of babbitt.
Etymology
The metal is named after its American inventor, Isaac Babbitt (1799-1862); the "conformist" sense comes from the title character of Sinclair Lewis's 1922 novel Babbitt.
Class of 1799
babbitt first entered the language around 1799. Other words from the same year:
See the full Class of 1799 →