Baby
See also: baby
English
Etymology
Two main origins:
- Borrowed from Malayalam ബേബി (bēbi), a surname typically found in Kerala.
- Borrowed from French Baby.
Proper noun
Baby (plural Babys)
- A surname.
Statistics
- According to the 2010 United States Census, Baby is the 36426th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 614 individuals. Baby is most common among Asian/Pacific Islander (71.01%) and White (19.54%) individuals.
Further reading
- Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Baby”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 1, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 78.
Cebuano
Etymology
From baby. Also from an error in birth registration. When the parent has not decided on a name of the child, the child is often listed as baby + surname.
Proper noun
Baby
- a female given name
- (rare) a male given name
German
Etymology
Mid-19th-century borrowing from English baby. The use as a term of endearment is a later borrowing from late-20th-century pop culture; it remains far commoner in pop music than in real life.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbeːbi/
Audio (file)
- IPA(key): /ˈbɛɪ̯bi/ (rather unusual for the sense “infant”, but often in the slang sense)
Noun
Baby n (strong, genitive Babys, plural Babys or Babies, diminutive Babychen n or Babylein n)
- baby (infant)
- Synonyms: Säugling, Bébé
- (music or slang) baby (term of endearment for a lover)
Usage notes
- The plural spelling Babies is now proscribed, but still occasionally seen.
Declension
Declension of Baby [neuter, strong]
| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indef. | def. | noun | def. | noun | |
| nominative | ein | das | Baby | die | Babys, Babies |
| genitive | eines | des | Babys | der | Babys, Babies |
| dative | einem | dem | Baby | den | Babys, Babies |
| accusative | ein | das | Baby | die | Babys, Babies |
Derived terms
- Babybauch
- babyeinfach
- Babykleidung
- babyleicht
- Babyphon
- Babypuder
- Babyschuh
- Babysprache
- Babytragetasche
- Babywäsche
- Babywippe (“baby bouncer”)
Related terms
- Babysitter
Further reading
- “Baby” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “Baby” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
- “Baby” in Duden online
Baby on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia de