bubbe

American

[buhb-uh, buhb-ee, boo-buh, boo-bee] / ˈbʌb ə, ˈbʌb i, ˈbu bə, ˈbu bi /

noun

Yiddish.

(used as a title or term of address) grandmother.

Etymology

Origin of bubbe

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Yiddish bobe, from Polish baba

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Amy Irving plays Isabelle Grossman, a bookseller whose bubbe on the Lower East Side turns to a matchmaker to find love for her granddaughter.

From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2022

Bundle of oy: A toddler who makes you wonder why you were so eager to be a bubbe.

From Washington Post • Oct. 27, 2022

Instead, mix it into your matzo balls, or sizzle some chicken livers and make your bubbe proud.

From Salon • Sep. 1, 2021

Alas, the wisdom of the bubbe often collapses under rigorous testing.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 29, 2016

She’s like my bubbe in a sixteen-year-old body.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023