noun
babu
BAH-boo
Babu (noun) means a respectful title for a Hindu man, similar to "Mr.", traditionally placed after the surname. Example: “The letter was addressed to Sharma Babu.”
noun
1
A respectful title for a Hindu man, similar to "Mr.", traditionally placed after the surname.
"I could see Kana-babu’s sweet-shop at the end of their lane with absolute clarity."
— Amitav Ghosh, Shadow Lines (1989)
"The letter was addressed to Sharma Babu."
2
A low-ranking clerk or minor government official, especially one seen as bound up in red tape — a leftover sense from the colonial era.
"Office babus are the real rulers of this country now. Our number's up. Best thing we can do is to shut up shop and let 'em stew in their own juice."
— George Orwell pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair, Chapter 2 (1934)
"Getting the permit meant waiting in line for a babu to stamp the form."
"From the prevailing colonial perspective, the English of the babus was error-ridden and characterised by over-elaborate ornateness, and for these ‘transgressions’ it became the butt of native-speaker ridicule."
— James Lambert, Diachronic stability in Indian English lexis (2014)
How to use babu
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA polite Hindu title of address, or (more critically) a term for a petty bureaucrat.
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Word forms
- Plural
- babus
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The letter was addressed to Sharma _____.
Etymology
From Hindi बाबू (bābū), a term of respect that also came to label colonial-era clerks.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for babu
See all rhymes for babu →Frequently asked questions
What does “babu” mean?
The word “babu” means a respectful title for a Hindu man, similar to "Mr.", traditionally placed after the surname. In plain terms, a polite Hindu title of address, or (more critically) a term for a petty bureaucrat.
How do you pronounce “babu”?
“Babu” is pronounced BAH-boo (/ˈbɑːbuː/ in IPA).
How do you use “babu” in a sentence?
Here is “babu” used in a sentence: “The letter was addressed to Sharma Babu.”
What part of speech is “babu”?
“Babu” is a noun.
Where does the word “babu” come from?
The word “babu” comes from Hindi. From Hindi बाबू (bābū), a term of respect that also came to label colonial-era clerks.
How many meanings does “babu” have?
“Babu” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a respectful title for a Hindu man, similar to "Mr.", traditionally placed after the surname.
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