ba

English Online Dictionary. What means ba‎? What does ba mean?

Translingual

Symbol

ba

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Bashkir.

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Egyptian bꜣ,

Noun

ba (plural bas)

1. (Egyptian mythology) A being's soul or personality, represented as a bird-headed figure, which survives after death but must be sustained with offerings of food.

Etymology 2

The sound is very commonly made by infants, and is interpreted by parents as a reference to themselves.

Noun

ba (plural bas) (not generally used in the plural)

1. (colloquial and in direct address) Father, baba.

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

• ba'

Noun

ba (uncountable)

1. (historical) A medieval football game played in parts of Scotland around Christmas and New Year.

Etymology 4

Noun

ba (plural bas)

1. (in real estate ads) Abbreviation of bathroom.

   Alternative form: BA

   Coordinate term: br (“bedroom”)

Etymology 5

From Mandarin 吧 (ba).

Alternative forms

• bah

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): [p˭ɑ˨]

Particle

ba

1. (Manglish, Singlish) Used to soften the tone of a suggestion.

2. (Manglish, Singlish) Indicates confident speculation.

See also

Anagrams

• -ab, A&B, A.B., A/B, AB, Ab, a.b., ab, ab-, ab.

Akan

Verb

ba

1. (Fante) come

References

• Rose-Juliet Anyanwu, Fundamentals of Phonetics, Phonology and Tonology (2008)

Anguthimri

Noun

ba

1. (Mpakwithi) island

References

• Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 184

Australian Kriol

Preposition

ba

1. alternative form of blanga

Bakung

Noun

ba

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)
2. water (mineral water)

Bambara

Etymology 1

Noun

ba

1. mother

Synonyms

• bamuso
• ma

Etymology 2

Noun

bà

1. goat

Etymology 3

Noun

bá

1. river, stream, lake

Etymology 4

Numeral

bà

1. one thousand

Synonyms

• waa

Basque

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba/ [ba]
• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: ba

Etymology 1

Particle

ba

1. alternative form of ba-

   Ba al zatoz? ― Are you coming?

   Ba ote al dago inor etxean? ― Is anyone home?

   Ba omen zegoen bidea ezagutzen zuen norbait. ― There was someone who knew the way.

Usage notes

See usage notes at ba-.

Etymology 2

Clipping of bada (“it is”)

Particle

ba

1. so, then, well

   Ez nizun ba esan. ― Well, I didn't tell you.

Etymology 3

Clipping of bai (“yes”).

Particle

ba

1. (Northern) yes

Etymology 4

Probably from Spanish bah.

Interjection

ba

1. Indicates disdain or unbelief.

Further reading

• “ba”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “ba”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Borôro

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaː/

Noun

ba

1. egg

Buhi'non Bikol

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bahaq, from Proto-Austronesian *baSaq.

Noun

bâ

1. flood

Cebuano

Pronunciation 1

• (Standard Cebuano) IPA^(key): /ˈba/
• Rhymes: -a

Particle

ba

1. interrogative particle

   Kini ba ang Kabisay-an? ― Is this the Visayas?

   Kamao ka ba molangoy? ― Do you know how to swim?

Pronunciation 2

• (Standard Cebuano) IPA^(key): /ˈbaː/
• Rhymes: -a

Etymology

Short for baba.

Verb

ba

1. to piggyback; to carry someone on the back

Chichewa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-jíba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɓa/

Verb

-ba (infinitive kubá)

1. steal

Derived terms

• Verbal derivations:
  • Applicative: -bera
  • Causative: -betsa
  • Negative: -saba
  • Passive: -bedwa
  • Reduplicative: -baba
  • Repetitive: -banso
  • Other formations: -ba mawu (“eavesdrop”)

• Nominal derivations:
  • wakuba (“thief”)

Chickasaw

Conjunction

ba

1. alternative spelling of ba'

Cimbrian

Alternative forms

• bo

Etymology

From Middle High German wā, from Old High German wār, hwār, from Proto-West Germanic *hwār, from Proto-Germanic *hwar (“where”). Cognate with German wo, English where.

Pronoun

ba

1. (Sette Comuni, relative) that; which; who

   dar faff ba de pridighet ― the priest who preaches

Adverb

ba (dative bannont)

1. (Sette Comuni, interrogative) where

Adverb

ba

1. (Sette Comuni, attributive only) how (modifier used to express surprise, delight, etc.)

   Ba khalt! ― How cold!

Related terms

• éppadabaa

References

• “ba” in Martalar, Umberto Martello, Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

Dagbani

Etymology 1

Noun

ba (plural banima)

1. father
2. a title of respect

Usage notes

• obligatorily possessed: includes father's brothers, and in the plural all relatives on the father's side, particularly those of his generation.

See also

• ma

Etymology 2

Pronoun

ba

1. Third-person, animate, singular, neutral, object pronoun them

See also

• bɛ
• o
• ban
• bana

Dama (Sierra Leone)

Etymology

Cognate with Vai [script needed] (ba), Mende wa.

Adjective

ba

1. big

References

• Dalby, T. D. P. (1963) “The extinct language of Dama”, in Sierra Leone Language Review, volume 2, Freetown: Fourah Bay College, pages 50–54

Duun

Etymology

Onomatopoeic?

Noun

ba

1. goat

Further reading

• Duungooma ABC (alphabet duun), page 3

Eastern Penan

Noun

ba

1. water

References

• Dictionary of Eastern Penan

Fijian

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *baRa (cognates include Maori pā (“fortified village, blockade”) and Hawaiian pā (“wall”)) from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *baRa related to Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *pager (“enclosure; palisade around a village; fence around a planted tree or cultivated field”) (compare with Malay pagar (“fence”)).

Noun

ba

1. a special fence or enclosure made from reeds to catch fish trapped during tides.

References

• Ross Clark and Simon J. Greenhill, editors (2011), “paa.1”, in “POLLEX-Online: The Polynesian Lexicon Project Online”, in Oceanic Linguistics, volume 50, number 2, pages 551-559
• Gatty, Ronald (2009) “ba”, in Fijian-English Dictionary, Suva, Fiji: Ronald Gatty, →ISBN, page 10

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English ba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba/

Noun

ba

1. (Egyptian mythology) ba

Fula

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Particle

ba

1. (Pular) interrogative particle

Usage notes

• Placed at the end of a phrase
• Implies an alternative

Adverb

ba

1. (Maasina) not even

2. nothing
3. even

   Synonym: fay

See also

• yalli

References

• Oumar Bah, Dictionnaire Pular-Français, Avec un index français-pular, Webonary.org, SIL International, 2014.
• Richard Smith, Urs Niggli, Dictionnaire fulfulde - anglais - français, Webonary.org, SIL International, 2016.

Garo

Etymology

Probably from Bengali বা (ba), which is a short form of কিংবা (kiṅba).

Conjunction

ba

1. or

Ghomala'

Particle

ba (prepositional)

1. and, also, as well, too

   Ba myə gaə̂ sɔ'. ― I came also.

   Lwɔ̂' bə́ nə̂ bâwə́lə́. ― Each one has a shortcoming.

   Myə̂ mŋo' bâwə́lə̂ bə́ á nə́ é. ― Each one has shortcomings.

See also

References

• Erika Eichholzer (editor) et al, Dictionnaire ghomala’ (2002)

Gothic

Romanization

ba

1. romanization of 𐌱𐌰

Haitian Creole

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba/

Verb

ba

1. give

Synonyms

• ban
• bay

Hlai

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hlai, Baoding) IPA^(key): /pa˥˧/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Hlai *hmaː (“five”), from Pre-Hlai *maː (Norquest, 2015).

Numeral

ba

1. five

Etymology 2

From Proto-Hlai *hmaː (“dog; hunting dog”), from Pre-Hlai *maː (Norquest, 2015). Compare Proto-Tai *ʰmaːᴬ (“dog”) (whence Thai หมา (mǎa)).

Noun

ba

1. dog, hunting dog

Iban

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [baʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ

Preposition

ba

1. in

2. at

3. on

Iriga Bicolano

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bahaq, from Proto-Austronesian *baSaq.

Noun

bâ

1. flood

Irish

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /bˠɑ(h)/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /bˠɑ/, /bˠa(h)/, (Cois Fharraige) [bˠaː]
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /bˠah/

Noun

ba f pl

1. plural of bó

   Tá na ba sa mhá. ― The cows are in the field.

Etymology 2

From Old Irish ba.

Alternative forms

• (affirmative): b’ (used before a vowel sound except for the pronouns é, í, iad, ea)
• (relative): ab (used before a vowel sound)
• badh (archaic)
• budh (superseded)
• dob, dob' (dialectal equivalent of b’)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bˠə/, (before é, í, iad, ea) /bˠəj/
• (Munster, also) IPA^(key): /bˠɔ/

Particle

ba (triggers lenition)

1. past/conditional affirmative of is

   Ba é Dónall an múinteoir. ― Dónall was the teacher.

   Ba mhaith liom cupán tae. ― I would like a cup of tea.

2. past/conditional direct relative of is (used to introduce the comparative/superlative form of adjectives)

   fear ba shine ná m'athair ― a man (who was) older than my father

Related terms

Mutation

References

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈba/
• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: bà

Interjection

ba

1. bah!
2. oh well!

Anagrams

• ab-

Japanese

Romanization

ba

1. The hiragana syllable ば (ba) or the katakana syllable バ (ba) in Hepburn romanization.

Kongo

Noun

ba class 5 (singular diba, plural maba)

1. palm tree

Lhao Vo

Etymology

Uncertain.

Noun

ba

1. sun

Verb

ba

1. to know; to understand.

References

• Dr. Ola Hanson, A Dictionary of the Kachin Language (1906).

Lithuanian

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *ba (“for”).

Pronunciation

Conjunction

bà

1. for

References

Malagasy

Etymology 1

From English bar.

Noun

ba

1. (music) bar; measure

Etymology 2

From French bas (“stocking”).

Noun

ba

1. stockings; socks
2. knitting

Mandarin

Pronunciation

Romanization

ba (ba⁵ / ba⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄅㄚ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 吧, 罷 / 罢

Romanization

ba

1. nonstandard spelling of bā
2. nonstandard spelling of bá
3. nonstandard spelling of bǎ
4. nonstandard spelling of bà

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle English

Etymology

Form of *bān, from (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.).

Verb

bā

1. Imperative form of of *bān (“to kiss”)

Miraya Bikol

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bahaq, from Proto-Austronesian *baSaq.

Noun

bâ

1. flood

Nias

Preposition

ba

1. in, at, on (general preposition for locative adjuncts)

References

• Sundermann, Heinrich. 1905. Niassisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Moers: Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, p. 22–23.

Northern Kurdish

Etymology

From Proto-Iranian *HwáHatah (“wind”) (compare Avestan 𐬬𐬁𐬙𐬋 (vātō), Pashto and Persian باد (bâd)), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *HwáHatas (“wind”) (compare Sanskrit वात (vā́ta)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wéh₁n̥ts (“blowing”), present participle of *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɑː/
• Rhymes: -ɑː

Noun

ba m (Arabic spelling با)

1. weather
2. wind

Declension

Derived terms

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• bad

Verb

ba

1. simple past of be

Old English

Determiner

bā

1. neuter/feminine nominative/accusative singular of beġen

Old Irish

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Alternative forms

• (2nd sg. pres. subj.): be

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ba]

Verb

ba

1. inflection of is:
   1. first/second/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative
   3. third-person singular preterite/imperfect indicative nonrelative/relative

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [va(ː)]

Conjunction

ba

1. alternative form of fa (“or”)

Old Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *ba. First attested in the 15th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /ba/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ba/

Particle

ba

1. nay, or rather, or should I say, moreover, hell used to say that what has been said thus far is true, but could be said more accurately
2. transition particle; well, well then

Descendants

• Polish: ba
• Silesian: ba

References

• Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “ba”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN
• Mańczak, Witold (2017) “ba”, in Polski słownik etymologiczny (in Polish), Kraków: Polska Akademia Umiejętności, →ISBN
• Sławski, Franciszek (1958-1965) “ba”, in Jan Safarewicz, Andrzej Siudut, editors, Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), Kraków: Towarzystwo Miłośników Języka Polskiego
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “ba”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Olukumi

Etymology

Compare with Yoruba bàbá, Ekiti Yoruba àbá, Ekiti Yoruba bà, Ondo Yoruba bàí, Yoruba ụba, Owo Yoruba iba

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bā/

Noun

ba

1. father; old man or elder

Coordinate terms

• yé (“mother”)

Derived terms

• bá bá (“grandfather”)
• ba ba mì líla (“(my) great-grandfather”)
• énẹ́bá (“fatherlessness”)

Phalura

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba/

Particle

ba (discourse, Perso-Arabic spelling بہ)

1. Marker with a (switch-)topic function (variously corresponding to 'and, however, instead, as for, but')

References

• Henrik Liljegren, Naseem Haider (2011) “ba”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[5], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Phuthi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-báa.

Verb

-ba

1. to be
2. to become

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish ba.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ba
• Homophone: -ba

Particle

ba

1. nay, or rather, or should I say, moreover, hell (used to say that what has been said thus far is true but could be said more accurately)

   Synonyms: mało tego, więcej

   To danie jest dobre, ba, przepyszne! ― This dish is good, nay, delicious!

2. duh, obviously (used when the speaker believes what has been said is obvious)

   „On jest trochę głupi, co?” „Ba!” ― “He's a little dumb, isn't he?” “Duh!”

3. denotes disappointment; bah
4. (obsolete) that's easy to say
5. (obsolete, repeated) well, well
6. (obsolete) that's another thing
7. (Middle Polish) used to urge a command.

   Synonym: no

8. (Masuria, Ostróda, Warmia) Introduces a continued statement; well, so
9. (Masuria, Ostróda, Warmia) Used to answer a question; well
10. (Masuria, Ostróda, Warmia) Used to respond to a request; unfortunately
11. (Masuria, Ostróda, Warmia) Adds to a statement furthermore

Interjection

ba

1. (Masuria, Ostróda, Warmia) Denotes surprise; there you have it!

Conjunction

ba

1. (Masuria, Ostróda, Warmia, contrastive) but; just

Derived terms

Further reading

• ba in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• ba in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “ba”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• Barbara Rykiel-Kempf (19.01.2017) “BA”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century]
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “ba”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “ba”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “ba”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 77
• Zofia Stamirowska (1987-2024) “ba”, in Anna Basara, editor, Słownik gwar Ostródzkiego, Warmii i Mazur, volume 1, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich Wydawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk, →ISBN, page 137

Romagnol

Alternative forms

• bab

Etymology

From Latin *babbus (“dad”), of Onomatopoeic origin.

Pronunciation

• (Central Romagnol): IPA^(key): [ˈbaɐ̯]

Noun

ba m (plural bëb)

1. father, dad

   Ba ’d famèja ― Paterfamilias

References

• Masotti, Adelmo (1996) Vocabolario Romagnolo Italiano [Romagnol-Italian dictionary] (in Italian), Bologna: Zanichelli, page 51
• Ercolani, Libero (1971) Vocabolario Romagnolo-Italiano, Monte di Ravenna, page 33

Shona

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-jíba.

Verb

-bá (infinitive kubá)

1. to steal

Silesian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish ba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈba/
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ba

Particle

ba

1. Expresses negation or disagreement; obviously not

Further reading

• Aleksandra Wencel (2023) “ba”, in Dykcjůnôrz ślų̊sko-polski, page 32

Spanish

Verb

ba

1. alternative form of va

Sumerian

Romanization

ba

1. romanization of 𒁀 (ba)

Swazi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-báa.

Verb

-ba

1. to be
2. to become

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Swedish

Alternative forms

• ba'

Etymology

Apocopic form of bara.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɑː/, /bɑ/

Adverb

ba (not comparable)

1. (colloquial) pronunciation spelling of bara ("just, only")
   • 2019, Veronica Maggio, "Tillfälligheter" (song), Fiender är tråkigt (album)

Derived terms

• tjabba

Verb

ba (preterite ba)

1. (colloquial, defective) Used colloquially to indicate speech or action. Compare English be like, like.

Usage notes

Only used in the preterite (past) and infinitive forms.

Anagrams

• AB, Ab

Tagalog

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ba, or shortened form of baga. Cognate with Cebuano ba and Malagasy va.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ba/ [bɐ]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ba

Particle

ba (Baybayin spelling ᜊ)

1. marks a sentence as interrogative

   Synonyms: (dialectal) ga, (dialectal) baga, (obsolete) kaya

Usage notes

• The particle sometimes disappears in informal contexts and the sentence can be inferred as interrogative depending on the tone of the speaker.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Influenced by Baybayin character ᜊ (ba).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ba/ [bɐ]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ba

Noun

ba (Baybayin spelling ᜊ)

1. the name of the Latin-script letter B/b, in the Abakada alphabet

   Synonyms: (in the Filipino alphabet) bi, (in the Abecedario) be

See also

• baba

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ba/ [bɐ]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ba

Interjection

ba (Baybayin spelling ᜊ)

1. clipping of aba

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈbaʔ/ [ˈbaʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ
• Syllabification: ba

Interjection

bâ (Baybayin spelling ᜊ)

1. boo (used in play-scare with babies)

   Synonyms: ga, bulaga

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈbaʔ/ [ˈbaʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ
• Syllabification: ba

Noun

bâ (Baybayin spelling ᜊ)

1. clipping of amba

Further reading

• “ba”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*ba₅”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Tày

Pronunciation

• (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA^(key): [ɓaː˧˧]
• (Trùng Khánh) IPA^(key): [ɓaː˦˥]

Verb

ba

1. to be (horizontally) spread out

   xu ba ― big ear

References

• Lương Bèn (2011) Từ điển Tày-Việt [Tay-Vietnamese dictionary]‎^[6][7] (in Vietnamese), Thái Nguyên: Nhà Xuất bản Đại học Thái Nguyên

Tetum

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

ba

1. to go

Further reading

• Fransiskus Monteiro (1985) Kamus Tetun-Indonesia [Tetum-Indonesian Dictionary] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan

Tiruray

Noun

ba

1. (anatomy) mouth

Uneapa

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *bʷa, possibly from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *ba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba/

Verb

ba

1. to not be

   Synonym: bali

Further reading

• Terry Crowley et al, The Oceanic Languages (2013), page 374

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓaː˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓaː˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓaː˧˧]

Etymology 1

Attested quite late in Vietnamese literature. Likely a loan from some variety of Chinese 爸 (bà) (if so distantly related to bố). The resemblance to French papa is probably coincidental.

In Đại Nam quấc âm tự vị (1895), the imitative ba ba was annotated as [t]iếng con nít hay kêu ("a word that children often use"), while glossed as cha, the chief and/or formal word for "father".

Noun

ba

1. (chiefly Southern Vietnam) father

   Synonyms: áng, bác, bọ, bố, cậu, cha, thầy, tía

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Proto-Vietic *paː, from Proto-Austroasiatic *peːʔ (“three”). Cognate with Muong pa, Khmer បី (bəy), Halang pe, Pacoh pe, Mon ပိ, Santali ᱯᱮ (pe).

Numeral

ba • (𠀧, 巴)

1. three

Adjective

ba • (𠀧, 巴)

1. (Southern Vietnam, of a sibling) secondborn

   anh/chị ba ― second eldest brother/sister

   bác ba ― second eldest brother/sister of one's parent

   chú ba ― secondborn younger brother of one's father

Derived terms

Determiner

ba

1. (colloquial) some, an indefinite quantity greater than one

Etymology 3

Sino-Vietnamese word from 波.

Noun

ba

1. (only in compounds) wave; ripple

Derived terms

See also

• sóng

Volapük

Adverb

ba

1. perhaps

West Albay Bikol

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bahaq, from Proto-Austronesian *baSaq.

Noun

bâ

1. flood

West Makian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba/

Noun

ba

1. the vagina

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[8], Pacific linguistics

Woiwurrung

Pronunciation

1. IPA^(key): [ba]

Conjunction

ba

1. and

References

Xhosa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-báa.

Verb

-ba

1. to be
2. to become

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Yapese

Verb

ba

1. (auxiliary) to be (doing something); forms the present tense

Yola

Alternative forms

• b', bee, be

Etymology

From Middle English been, from Old English bēon, from Proto-West Germanic *beun.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bə/, /b/, /biː/
• Homophone: bye

Verb

ba (inflected forms aam, yarth, is, beeth, bin, waz, wasth, war)

1. be
2. is
3. are
4. been

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 24

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bà/

Verb

bà

1. to ferment

   kòkó ti bà ― The cocoa seeds have fermented

2. to carry out the process of fermentation on seeds or plants

Usage notes

• ba before a direct object

Derived terms

• ìbà (“act of fermenting”)
• ìdíbá-nǹkan (“fermentation”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bà/

Verb

bà

1. (horticulture) to plant seeds in prepared pots for future transplanting into a farm (when it becomes an established seedling)

   ba òrom̀bó ― To plant lemon seeds for future transplanting

Usage notes

• ba before a direct object

Derived terms

• ìbà

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bà/

Verb

bà

1. to press a wound; to apply a warm compress on a wound

   Synonym: mọ́

   ba ojú egbò ― To apply a warm compress to a wound

Usage notes

• ba before a direct object

Derived terms

• ìbà

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bà/

Verb

bà

1. to hit (with an impact)

   ọfà á bà wọ́n ― The arrow hit them

2. to be overcome with fear (literally, to be hit with fear)

   ẹ̀rú bà wá ― Fear overcame us

3. (usually used with ilẹ̀) to be too long or oversized (to hit the ground)

   agbádá yìí bà mí nílẹ̀ ― The agbada was too big for me

4. to perch

   Lékeléke bà mí lékè, ẹyẹ àdàbà bà mí lékè ― An egret perched on me, a dove perched on me

5. to braid; to plait

   Synonym: dì

Usage notes

• ba before a direct object

Derived terms

• ìbà
• dẹ́rù bà (“to scare”)
• bẹ̀rù (“to fear”)
• ìbẹ̀rù (“fear”)

Zaghawa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba/

Noun

ba

1. arm

References

• Beria-English English-Beria Dictionary [provisional] ADESK, Iriba, Kobe Department, Chad

Zoogocho Zapotec

Etymology 1

Cognate with Yatzachi Zapotec ba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba˦/

Noun

ba

1. hot weather (clarification of this definition is needed)

Derived terms

• chex̱ba
• gwba
• lagüeꞌ ba

Etymology 2

Cognate with Isthmus Zapotec baꞌ, Yatzachi Zapotec ba.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba˩/

Noun

ba

1. grave, tomb

Etymology 3

Cognate with Yatzachi Zapotec ba-.

Adverb

ba

1. already

References

• Long C., Rebecca, Cruz M., Sofronio (2000) Diccionario zapoteco de San Bartolomé Zoogocho, Oaxaca (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 38)‎^[9] (in Spanish), second electronic edition, Coyoacán, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 3

Zou

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba˧/

Verb

ba

1. (transitive) to owe

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba˧˩/

Noun

bà

1. bat (mammal)

References

• Lukram Himmat Singh (2013) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, pages 44, 45

Zulu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-báa.

Verb

-ba

1. to be
2. to become

Inflection

References

• C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “-ɓa”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “-ɓa”