babel
babel Lexical Profile
babel Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A confused noise made by a number of voices speaking simultaneously, or a noisy, chaotic scene of confusion and disorder.
"A babel of excited voices filled the lobby as the audience poured out of the theater after the premiere."
An ancient city and kingdom in Mesopotamia (commonly known as Babylon) where, according to the biblical Book of Genesis, the construction of a tower intended to reach heaven was halted by the confounding of human languages.
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'babel' (a noun meaning a confused mixture of sounds or voices) with its homophone 'babble' (a verb or noun referring to rapid, incomprehensible, or foolish talk). Although 'babel' originates from the biblical Tower of Babel, it is frequently written in lowercase when used as a common noun.
• Rhymes for babel
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the biblical Hebrew name Bāḇel (Babylon), associated in Genesis 11 with the Tower of Babel where human languages were confounded; the name itself comes from Akkadian Bāb-ilim, meaning 'gate of God'.