baboo

[ bah-boo ]

/ ˈbɑ bu /

noun, plural ba·boos.

babu.

Words nearby baboo

babinski's sign, babirusa, babism, babka, babo's law, baboo, baboon, baboonery, babracot, babruysk, babs

Definition for baboo (2 of 2)

babu

or ba·boo

[ bah-boo ]

/ ˈbɑ bu /

(in India, especially under British rule)

noun

a Hindu title of address equivalent to Sir, Mr., or Esquire.

a Hindu gentleman.

a native Indian clerk who can write English.

Usually Disparaging. any native Indian having only a limited knowledge of English.

Origin of babu

First recorded in 1875–80, babu is from the Hindi word bābū

usage note for babu

The term babu English refers to florid, overly polite, and unidiomatic English regarded as characteristic of native Indians who have limited proficiency in English.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for baboo

His mode of life is imitated by the wealthy natives; his vices are mimicked by every young Bengalee baboo.
Greater Britain|Charles Wentworth Dilke
But Baboo Dass swore he had seen a beast with his hands on the window.
The Three Sapphires|W. A. Fraser
The Baboo also conducted me to the inner apartments looking into the courtyard.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
"Baboo Dass is right," Perreira declared, thrusting into the gap.
The Three Sapphires|W. A. Fraser

His companions finished the work; and Baboo Beg went off to get his fingers dressed without telling any one what had happened.
A Journey through the Kingdom of Oude, Volumes I & II|William Sleeman

British Dictionary definitions for baboo

babu

/ (ˈbɑːbuː) /

noun

(in India) a title or form of address more or less equivalent to Mr, placed before a person's full name or after his first name

Word Origin for babu

Hindi, literally: father

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