babu
a Hindu title of address equivalent to Sir, Mr., or Esquire.
a Hindu gentleman.
Older Use. an Indian clerk who can write in English.
Usually Disparaging. any Indian having only a limited knowledge of English.
Origin of babu
1- Also ba·boo .
usage note For babu
Words Nearby babu
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use babu in a sentence
These partially educated Bengalis form the babu class, and many are employed in the railways.
War in the Garden of Eden | Kermit RooseveltSaid the babu when he had talked for an hour and a half, 'I hope some day to enjoy your offeecial acquaintance.
Kim | Rudyard KiplingThe babu's famous drug-box proved useless, though Kim had restocked it at Bombay.
Kim | Rudyard KiplingCom-plete in every particular,' said Hurree babu, rolling into the balcony to clean his teeth at a goglet. '
Kim | Rudyard KiplingHurree babu stepped back a pace or two into the crowd at the entrance of Lucknow station and—was gone.
Kim | Rudyard Kipling
British Dictionary definitions for babu
/ (ˈbɑːbuː) /
(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
Origin of babu
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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