babbitt
[ bab-it ]
/ ˈbæb ɪt /
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noun
a bearing or lining of Babbitt metal.
adjective
pertaining to or made of Babbitt metal.
verb (used with object)
to line, face, or furnish with Babbitt metal.
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Origin of babbitt
First recorded in 1900–05; short for Babbitt metal
Words nearby babbitt
Babar, Babashoff, babassu, babassu oil, Babbage, babbitt, Babbitt metal, Babbittry, babble, babbler, babbling
Definition for babbitt (2 of 2)
Babbitt
[ bab-it ]
/ ˈbæb ɪt /
noun
Irving, 1865–1933, U.S. educator and critic.
Milton Byron, 1916–2011, U.S. composer.
(italics) a novel (1922) by Sinclair Lewis.
(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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for babbitt
British Dictionary definitions for babbitt (1 of 2)
babbitt
/ (ˈbæbɪt) /
verb
(tr) to line (a bearing) or face (a surface) with Babbitt metal or a similar soft alloy
British Dictionary definitions for babbitt (2 of 2)
Babbitt
/ (ˈbæbɪt) /
noun
US derogatory a narrow-minded and complacent member of the middle class
Derived forms of Babbitt
Babbittry, nounWord Origin for Babbitt
C20: after George Babbitt, central character in the novel Babbitt (1922) by Sinclair Lewis
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
Cultural definitions for babbitt
Babbitt
(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 for Babbitt
By extension, a “Babbitt” is a narrow-minded, materialistic businessman.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.