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.

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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.

Words nearby babu

baboonery, babracot, babruysk, babs, babson, babu, babul, babur, babushka, babuyan islands, baby
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for babu

British Dictionary definitions for babu

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