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Bab

(bäb, băb), the Title of Ali Mohammad of Shiraz. 1819-1850.

Persian founder of Babism.

[Persian and Arabic Bāb, Gate (leading to the Mahdi or to knowledge of God) from Arabic bāb, gate, from Aramaic bābā, from Akkadian bābu; see bwb in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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