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Babel

1
[ bab-uhl; Russian bah-byil ]
/ ˈbæb əl; Russian ˈbɑ byɪl /
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noun
I·saak Em·ma·nu·i·lo·vich [ahy-zuhk; Russian ee-sahkyi-muh-noo-yee-luh-vyich], /ˈaɪ zək; Russian iˈsɑk yɪ mə nuˈyi lə vyɪtʃ/, 1894–1941, Russian author.
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Other definitions for Babel (2 of 2)

Babel2
[ bey-buhl, bab-uhl ]
/ ˈbeɪ bəl, ˈbæb əl /

noun
an ancient city in the land of Shinar in which the building of a tower (Tower of Babel ) intended to reach heaven was begun and the confusion of the language of the people took place. Genesis 11:4–9.
(usually lowercase) a confused mixture of sounds or voices.
(usually lowercase) a scene of noise and confusion.

Origin of Babel

2
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin, from Hebrew Bābhel “Babylon,” from Akkadian bāb-ilim “the gate of the god”

OTHER WORDS FROM Babel

Ba·bel·ic [bey-bel-ik, ba-], /beɪˈbɛl ɪk, bæ-/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Babel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Babel (1 of 2)

Babel1
/ (ˈbeɪbəl) /

noun
Old Testament
  1. Also called: Tower of Babel a tower presumptuously intended to reach from earth to heaven, the building of which was frustrated when Jehovah confused the language of the builders (Genesis 11:1–9)
  2. the city, probably Babylon, in which this tower was supposedly built
(often not capital)
  1. a confusion of noises or voices
  2. a scene of noise and confusion

Word Origin for Babel

from Hebrew Bābhél, from Akkadian Bāb-ilu, literally: gate of God

British Dictionary definitions for Babel (2 of 2)

Babel2
/ (Russian ˈbabɪl) /

noun
Issak Emmanuilovich (iˈsak imənuˈiləvitʃ) 1894–1941, Russian short-story writer, whose works include Stories from Odessa (1924) and Red Cavalry (1926)
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
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