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babel in English

  • Babel
    Babel, noun.
    1. Tower of Babel, a high tower built after the Flood to reach heaven. God punished its builders by changing their language into several new and different languages. Because they could not understand one another, they had to leave the t

Comprehensive Dictionary Page: Babel

Babel

Part of Speech

Noun

Pronunciation

/ˈbeɪbəl/

Definitions

  • 1. A confusion of sounds or voices: A state of noisy or chaotic confusion, often implying a lack of understanding between people.
  • 2. A biblical tower: A tower mentioned in the Bible, built by humans to reach the heavens, whose construction was halted by God due to their pride, leading to the confusion of languages (Genesis 11:1–9).
  • 3. A place of confusion: A metaphorical reference to a place where communication is unclear due to the overwhelming number of voices or languages.

Usage Examples

  • "The meeting turned into a Babel, with everyone talking over each other."
  • "In the crowded city streets, the sounds of different languages created a babel of noise."
  • "The history of Babel is an important tale in understanding human ambition and divine intervention."

Etymology

The word "Babel" originates from the Hebrew word "balal" meaning "to confuse" or "to mix." It is most famously associated with the Tower of Babel story in the Bible, where God confused the languages of humanity to prevent the completion of the tower, causing people to scatter across the earth.

Synonyms

Confusion, chaos, clamor, discord, uproar, noise, tumult

Antonyms

Harmony, clarity, order, silence, tranquility, peace

Translations

Language Translation Pronunciation
Spanish Babel /ˈbaβel/
French Babel /baˈbɛl/
German Babel /ˈbaːbəl/
Italian Babele /baˈbɛːle/
Portuguese Babel /ˈbaβɛl/
Chinese (Mandarin) 巴别塔 (Bābiétǎ) /bā˥˥ biéˊ tǎˇ/
Japanese バベルの塔 (Baberu no tō) /baˈbeɾu no toː/
Russian Вавилонская башня (Vavilonskaya bashnya) /vɐvʲɪˈlonskʲɪjə ˈbaʂnʲə/

Regional Pronunciation Variations

The pronunciation of "Babel" remains relatively consistent across languages, but in some regional accents, it may be articulated with slight differences. For example, in American English, it is pronounced as /ˈbeɪbəl/ while in British English, it may be pronounced with a softer 'a' sound.

Historical Usage

The term "Babel" has been historically used to describe both the Biblical Tower of Babel and situations of great confusion and miscommunication. It has permeated cultural references as a symbol of human ambition and the inevitable consequences of attempting to reach beyond one's limits.

Cultural Nuances

In modern usage, "Babel" is often used metaphorically to describe chaotic, noisy environments where people speak over each other in different languages or arguments. The term has strong associations with the Bible, where the story is used to explain the origin of different languages and the dispersion of humanity across the globe.

More Information

The Tower of Babel, a biblical story found in Genesis 11:1-9, describes the construction of a tower intended to reach the heavens. In response to this challenge, God confounded the people's language, making them unable to understand one another, thus halting the tower's construction and scattering the people across the Earth. The name "Babel" is now synonymous with confusion and miscommunication due to this tale.

Over time, the term "Babel" has been adopted in various cultural contexts to represent chaos, confusion, or an overwhelming variety of voices or sounds. It is frequently used to describe situations where understanding is lost due to too many conflicting ideas or languages. In modern discourse, it can refer to any environment in which communication fails due to a lack of shared understanding.

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