באָבע

Yiddish

Alternative forms

• באַבע (babe), בובע (bube)

Etymology

Either inherited from eastern Middle High German bābe (“old woman”) or independently borrowed from a Slavic language. In both cases eventually from Proto-Slavic *baba (“old woman”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɔbə/

Noun

באָבע • (bobe) f, plural באָבעס (bobes)

1. granny, grandmother

Usage Notes

This is one of few Yiddish nouns to inflect, optionally becoming באָבען (boben) in the dative, and באָבעס (bobes) in the possessive.

Derived terms

• אור־באָבע f (ur-bobe), עלטער־באָבע f (elter-bobe, “great-grandmother”)
• באָבע־מעשׂה f (bobe-mayse, “tall story, fairy tale”)

 

Related terms

• באָבעשי f (bobeshi, “granny”)