Babel

1
[ bab-uh l; Russian bah-byil ]
/ ˈbæb əl; Russian ˈbɑ byɪl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR Babel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

I·saak Em·ma·nu·i·lo·vich [ahy-zuh k; Russian ee-sahk yi-muh-noo-yee-luh-vyich] /ˈaɪ zək; Russian iˈsɑk yɪ mə nuˈyi lə vyɪtʃ/,1894–1941, Russian author.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Definition for babel (2 of 2)

Babel2
[ bey-buhl, bab-uhl ]
/ ˈbeɪ bəl, ˈbæb əl /

noun

an ancient city in the land of Shinar in which the building of a tower (Tower of Babel) intended to reach heaven was begun and the confusion of the language of the people took place. Gen. 11:4–9.
(usually lowercase) a confused mixture of sounds or voices.
(usually lowercase) a scene of noise and confusion.

Origin of Babel

2
From the Hebrew word Bābhel Babylon

OTHER WORDS FROM Babel

Ba·bel·ic [bey-bel-ik, ba-] /beɪˈbɛl ɪk, bæ-/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to babel

turmoil, din, discord, tumult, bedlam, clang, hubbub, hullabaloo, pandemonium, racket, tower, jargon

Example sentences from the Web for babel

British Dictionary definitions for babel (1 of 2)

Babel1
/ (ˈbeɪbəl) /

noun

Old Testament
  1. Also called: Tower of Babel a tower presumptuously intended to reach from earth to heaven, the building of which was frustrated when Jehovah confused the language of the builders (Genesis 11:1–9)
  2. the city, probably Babylon, in which this tower was supposedly built
(often not capital)
  1. a confusion of noises or voices
  2. a scene of noise and confusion

Word Origin for Babel

from Hebrew Bābhél, from Akkadian Bāb-ilu, literally: gate of God

British Dictionary definitions for babel (2 of 2)

Babel2
/ (Russian ˈbabɪl) /

noun

Issak Emmanuilovich (iˈsak imənuˈiləvitʃ) 1894–1941, Russian short-story writer, whose works include Stories from Odessa (1924) and Red Cavalry (1926)
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