babu

or ba·boo

[bah-boo](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

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for babu

Historical Examples of babu

“We never doubted that,” returned Babu with a touch of surprise in his tone.
Blown to Bits
R.M. Ballantyne
Babu Nilratan, the husband of Labanya, was a pleader at Buxar.
The Hungry Stones And Other Stories
Rabindranath Tagore
Perhaps the babu is the thing too much in India; they could do without him.
Unaddressed Letters
Anonymous
But enough of the babu; I cannot think how he got into my letter.
Unaddressed Letters
Anonymous
Many persons will overlook a small charge, and well the babu knows it.
Seven Legs Across the Seas
Samuel Murray

British Dictionary definitions for babu

babu

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