Dictionary.com

Babel

1
[ bab-uhl; Russian bah-byil ]
/ ˈbæb əl; Russian ˈbɑ byɪl /
Save This Word!

noun

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

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
The Sunflower State
The Evergreen State
The Magnolia State
The Mockingbird State
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby Babel

babe, Bab ed-Din, babe-in-a-cradle, babe in arms, babe in the woods, Babel, Babelism, Babelize, Babelized, Bab el Mandeb, Babel, Tower of

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. Genesis 11:4–9.
(usually lowercase) a confused mixture of sounds or voices.
(usually lowercase) a scene of noise and confusion.

SYNONYMS FOR Babel

3 tumult, turmoil, uproar, bedlam, clamor.

Origin of Babel

2
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin, from Hebrew Bābhel “Babylon,” from Akkadian bāb-ilim “the gate of the god”

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. 2021

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
Book Your Online Tutor Now