Babel

[ bab-uh l; Russian bah-byil ]

/ ˈbæb əl; Russian ˈbɑ byɪl /

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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.

Babel

[ 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

From the Hebrew word Bābhel Babylon

SYNONYMS FOR Babel

3. tumult, turmoil, uproar, bedlam, clamor.

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Related formsBa·bel·ic

[bey-bel-ik, ba-] /beɪˈbɛl ɪk, bæ-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for babel

Gowan, Donald E. From Eden to Babel: A Commentary on the Book of Genesis 1-11.
The Backstory of ‘Noah’ Is Full of Giants, Horny Angels, and a Grieving God|Tim Townsend|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mumford Sons taking 'a considerable amount of time off' after 'Babel' tour.
Emmy Awards Score Ratings High, Jon Hamm May Undergo Surgery|Culture Team|September 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We watch Babel beaten, just before his death, in “Lubyanka Prison, Moscow, 1940.”
Intriguing, Humorous, Even Poetic: Peter Orner’s New Story Collection|Joseph Peschel|August 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Guillermo Arriaga (Babel, 21 Grams, The Burning Plain) employs a nonlinear style.
Benjamin Percy: How I Write|Noah Charney|June 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But I recall nothing in Possession, Angels & Insects, Babel Tower, or her other books that seems to presage this one.
Must Reads: Wild Abandon, Ramona Ausubel, A.S. Byatt|Nicholas Mancusi, Jennifer Miller, Allen Barra|March 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But the mere fact of there being such a Babel of different tongues disproves this.
Theodore Watts-Dunton|James Douglas
The name of it was called “Babel” (confusion), from the Hebrew.
Foot-prints of a letter carrier|James Rees
In the fourth room I noticed a peculiar clock, made in the form of the tower of Babel.
With the World's Great Travellers, Volume IV|Various
After ten minutes of babel, Marjorie suddenly squatted herself on the floor, and began to write furiously.
The Children of Wilton Chase|Mrs. L. T. Meade
The whole crowd heard the words, for Michel's voice was pitched in a high, shrill key, which rang above the clamour and the babel.
Stories By English Authors: France|Various

British Dictionary definitions for babel

Babel

/ (ˈbeɪbəl) /

noun

Old Testament

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)
the city, probably Babylon, in which this tower was supposedly built

(often not capital)

a confusion of noises or voices
a scene of noise and confusion

Word Origin for Babel

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

Babel

/ (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

Word Origin and History for babel

Babel

capital of Babylon, late 14c., from Hebrew Babhel (Gen. xi), from Akkadian bab-ilu "Gate of God" (from bab "gate" + ilu "god"). The name is a translation of Sumerian Ka-dingir. Meaning "confused medley of sounds" (1520s) is from the biblical story of the Tower of Babel.

Babel

noun

RELATED WORDS

Babel

noun

Origin of Babel

Examples from the Web for babel

Babel

noun

Word Origin for Babel

Babel

noun

Babel