English word baby comes from Proto-Indo-European *bhā- (father, (elder) brother), and later Proto-Germanic *bō- (a stem meaning father, brother, close male relation), which became reduplicated in Proto-Germanic as *babô and gave rise to Middle English *baba and modern English babe (and eventually baby)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *bhā- | Proto-Indo-European (ine) | father, (elder) brother” |
| *bō- | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | A stem meaning father, brother, close male relation. |
| *babô | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | A reduplicated variant of *bō- |
| *baba | Old English (ang) | boy, child |
| babe | Middle English (enm) | |
| babi | Middle English (enm) | |
| baby | English (en) | (archaic) A small image of an infant; a doll.. (informal) A form of address to a man or a woman considered to be attractive.. A person who is immature or infantile.. A pet project or responsibility.. A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered.. An affectionate term for anything.. Any very young animal, especially a vertebrate; many [...] |