baba

[ bah-buh; French ba-ba ]

/ ˈbɑ bə; French baˈba /

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noun, plural ba·bas

[bah-buhz; French ba-ba]. /ˈbɑ bəz; French baˈba/.

a spongelike cake leavened with yeast and often containing raisins, baked in a small mold and then usually soaked with a rum syrup.

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Origin of baba

1820–30; <French <Polish: literally, old woman, peasant woman; the cake was introduced into France by the court of the exiled Polish king Stanislaus I

Words nearby baba

baas, baaskap, Baastrup's sign, Baath, Bāb, baba, baba au rhum, babaco, baba gannouj, baba ganoush, baba ghanouj

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use baba in a sentence

“Maidan is distinctly separate from the current government,” says Baba, a rail-thin man with a long beard who looks like a monk.
Ukraine’s Vigilante Peacemakers|James Kirchick|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“There is no real chain of command in the army,” Baba tells me.
Ukraine’s Vigilante Peacemakers|James Kirchick|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“So-called state leaders are not interested in the state,” Baba says.
Ukraine’s Vigilante Peacemakers|James Kirchick|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She won’t eat, and every night she cries out in her dreams: ‘baba jan (father), baba jan, protect me.
Afghanistan’s Rape Crisis: Villagers Fear U.S.-Backed Militias|Sami Yousafzai, Ron Moreau|May 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The trilogy follows Kate and Baba, two lasses from the Shannon bogs, from convent school to the bright lights of London.
The 12 Best Irish Novels for St. Patrick’s Day|Allen Barra|March 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In fact, except for Ramona's help, it would have been a question whether even Alessandro could have made Baba work in harness.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
Going back we had some long range shots with the 15-inch guns at batteries in rear of Achi Baba.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
The shells came from Asia and Achi Baba:—in a fiery shower, they fell upon the lines of our front trenches.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
We have men enough, and good men too, but we are short of pebbles for Goliath of Achi Baba.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
The upshot of the whole affair is that the enemy still hold a strong line of trenches between us and Achi Baba.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for baba

baba

/ (ˈbɑːbɑː, French baba) /

noun

a small cake of leavened dough, sometimes mixed with currants and usually soaked in rum (rum baba)

Word Origin for baba

C19: from French, from Polish, literally: old woman

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012