babax (English)

Where does "babax" come from?

The English noun 'babax' is a learned borrowing from the Ancient Greek 'βάβαξ'[1][2]. The Greek source is an onomatopoeic word related to terms like 'βαβάζω' meaning to speak inarticulately, 'βάβιον' meaning child, 'βάβακοι' meaning cicadas, and 'βάβαλον' meaning shouter[2].

Open questions

• The Ancient Greek form is an onomatopoeic creation linked to a family of related expressive terms. [2]

Full etymology tree

• babax (English), 'Any of four species of passerine birds within the genus Pterorhinus in the laughingthrush family Leiothrichidae.'
  • borrowed βάβαξ (bábax) (Ancient Greek), 'chatterer, chatterbox'

Ancestors

• βάβαξ (Ancient Greek)

Sources

1. babax (English) - Wiktionary
2. βάβαξ (bábax) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris