babbitt

¹

[ bab-it ]

noun

1. Babbitt metal.
2. a bearing or lining of Babbitt metal.

adjective

1. pertaining to or made of Babbitt metal.

verb (used with object)

1. to line, face, or furnish with Babbitt metal.

Babbitt

²

[ bab-it ]

noun

1. Irving, 1865–1933, U.S. educator and critic.
2. Milton Byron, 1916–2011, U.S. composer.
3. (italics) a novel (1922) by Sinclair Lewis.
4. (often lowercase) a self-satisfied person who conforms readily to conventional, middle-class ideas and ideals, especially of business and material success; Philistine: from the main character in the novel by Sinclair Lewis.

Babbitt

¹

/ ˈbæbɪt /

noun

1. derogatory.
   a narrow-minded and complacent member of the middle class

babbitt

²

/ ˈbæbɪt /

verb

1. tr to line (a bearing) or face (a surface) with Babbitt metal or a similar soft alloy

Babbitt

1. (1922) A novel by Sinclair Lewis . The title character , an American real estate agent in a small city, is portrayed as a crass, loud, overoptimistic boor who thinks only about money and speaks in clichés, such as “You've gotta have pep, by golly!”

Notes

By extension, a “Babbitt” is a narrow-minded, materialistic businessman.

Derived Forms

• ˈBabbittry, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of babbitt¹

First recorded in 1900–05; short for Babbitt metal

Word History and Origins

Origin of babbitt¹

C20: after George Babbitt , central character in the novel Babbitt (1922) by Sinclair Lewis

Example Sentences

Roger Witthoeft, Babbitt’s brother, said he was not happy that prosecutors decided not to charge the officer.

From Washington Post

Babbitt, a native Californian and Air Force veteran, was among a group of rioters inside the Capitol building trying to breach a barricaded door leading to the Speaker’s Lobby, which would have opened access to the House of Representatives chamber.

From Washington Post

Babbitt was a 14-year veteran who served four tours with the Air Force .

From Washington Post

Now many of these groups are pointing to Babbitt’s death as cause for further action.

From Time

Timothy McEntee wrote in text messages that Babbitt, of San Diego, was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq in the Air Force, before other deployments with the National Guard to Kuwait and Qatar.

From Washington Post

At one point, Powers invokes Milton Babbitt's 1958 essay "Who Cares If You Listen?"

From The Daily Beast

The state turned blue for Bill Clinton and elected two prominent Democratic governors, Bruce Babbitt and Janet Napolitano.

From The Daily Beast

Though Babbitt turns ninety this year, Georgie Babbitt still lives and breathes and harrumphs.

From The Daily Beast

What, Babbitt wonders in another quiet moment, is it all about?

From The Daily Beast

The most startling thing about Babbitt today is not its satire but the haunting, if brief, moments of introspection.

From The Daily Beast

It is such accidents as these that are prevented by the use of an easily-melted babbitt metal.

From Project Gutenberg

Consequently the babbitt is placed in the bearing box in the form of a thin lining within which the shaft revolves.

From Project Gutenberg

These shims provide the method of taking up the wear in the babbitt that will eventually result.

From Project Gutenberg

To babbitt any kind of a box, first chip out all of the old babbitt and clean the shaft and box thoroughly with benzine.

From Project Gutenberg

When the babbitt has cooled, break the box apart by driving a cold chisel between the two halves.

From Project Gutenberg