baa

See also: Appendix:Variations of "baa"

Translingual

Etymology

Abbreviation of English Babatana.

Symbol

baa

1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Babatana.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Babatana terms

English

Etymology 1

Compare German bäh, mäh; an imitative word.

Notes on phonological development

The pronunciation /bɑː/ is perhaps a development from earlier /bæː/ reflecting the shift of /æː/ to /ɑː/ during the 18th and 19th centuries. Compare Early Modern English bae, bea, both "to baa", respectively displaying the then current pronunciation of Middle English /aː/ as /æː/ and the failure of Middle English /ɛː/ to raise, and the replacement of mew with meow for another instance where recent sound change has made onomatopoeia opaque.

Alternative forms

• bah (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): [bɑː]
• (US) IPA^(key): [bæ], [bɑ]
• IPA^(key): [bæ̰ː], [bæ̰ˀæ̰ˀæ̰ˀæ̰ˀ]

• Audio (Received Pronunciation):

  (file)

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː, -æ
• Homophones: bah, bar (in some pronunciations)

Noun

baa (plural baas)

Audio of a bleating sheep, the animal sound that "baa" is based on.

1. (onomatopoeia) The characteristic cry or bleating of a sheep or (broader) a sheep or goat.

   Near-synonyms: bleat, bleating

Derived terms

• baa-lamb

Translations

bleating of sheep

• Arabic: مَأْمَأَة (ar) f (maʔmaʔa)
• Catalan: bel (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 發咩聲 / 发咩声 (fā miē sheng)

• Czech: bečení n
• Dutch: bè (nl)
• Faroese: jarm n
• Finnish: mää (fi)
• French: bêlement (fr) m
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Blöken (de) n
• Greek: βέλασμα (el) n (vélasma)
• Hawaiian: heʻehe, māʻāʻā
• Icelandic: jarm (is) n
• Italian: belato (it) m, bè
• Japanese: 羊の鳴き声 (ひつじのなきごえ, hitsuji no nakigoe)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: باعە (ba'e)

• Macedonian: блеење n (bleenje)
• Māori: please add this translation if you can
• Navajo: meeʼ
• Norwegian: bæ (no) n
• Polish: bek (pl) m inan, beczenie (pl) n
• Portuguese: balido (pt) m
• Russian: бле́яние (ru) n (bléjanije)
• Serbo-Croatian: блејање n, blejanje n
• Spanish: balido (es) m, be (es)
• Swedish: bä (sv) (interjection), bräkande (sv) n
• Turkish: me (tr), meleme (tr)
• Vietnamese: be be (vi)

Interjection

baa

1. (onomatopoeia) The characteristic cry of a sheep or (broader) of a sheep or goat.

Translations

cry of sheep

• Afrikaans: bê
• Catalan: be (ca), bee (ca), mè (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 咩 (zh) (miē)

• Czech: bé (cs)
• Danish: mæh (da), mæ
• Esperanto: be (eo)
• Faroese: mæ
• Finnish: bää, mää (fi)
• French: bè (fr), bê (fr)
• German: bäh (de), mäh (de)
• Greek: μπε (el) (be)

  Ancient Greek: βῆ (bê)

• Hawaiian: heʻehe
• Hungarian: bee (hu)
• Icelandic: mee
• Italian: beè (it)
• Japanese: メー (mē)
• Latin: bee
• Māori: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: bæ (no)
• Polish: be (pl)
• Portuguese: bé (pt)
• Russian: бэ-бэ (bɛ-bɛ), ме (ru) (me), бе (ru) (be)
• Scottish Gaelic: mè
• Serbo-Croatian: бе, be (sh)
• Swedish: bä (sv)
• Turkish: me (tr)

Verb

baa (third-person singular simple present baas, present participle baaing, simple past and past participle baaed)

1. To make the characteristic cry of a sheep or (broader) of a sheep or goat.

   Near-synonyms: blat, bleat (broad enough to include calves too)

   • a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:

     He treble baas for help, but none can get.

   • 1902, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Bush Studies (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 44:

     The lamb bunted several irresponsive objects - never its dam's udder - baaing listlessly.

   • 2020, J. K. Rowling [pseudonym; Joanne Rowling], “Chapter 58: Hetty Hopkins”, in The Ickabog, New York City: Scholastic, →ISBN, page 242:

     The Ickabog bent down carefully, so that it wouldn't dislodge Daisy, and patted the thin sheep on the head. Instead of running away, it baaa-ed, quite unafraid, then returned to eating the thin, dry grass.

Translations

to make the cry of sheep

• Catalan: belar (ca)
• Czech: bečet (cs), mečet (cs)
• Danish: bræge
• Dutch: blaten (nl)
• Esperanto: bei
• Faroese: jarma
• Finnish: määkiä (fi)
• French: bêler (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: blöken (de), bähen (de), mähen (de)
• Greek: βελάζω (el) (velázo)
• Hungarian: béget (hu)
• Icelandic: jarma (is)
• Italian: belare (it)
• Japanese: （羊が）鳴く (ひつじがなく, hitsuji ga naku)
• Latin: bālō
• Norwegian: breke
• Old English: blǣtan
• Polish: beczeć (pl) impf
• Portuguese: balir (pt), balar (pt)
• Russian: бле́ять (ru) (bléjatʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: блејати, blejati (sh)
• Slovak: bečať impf
• Slovene: blejati
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: bjacaś impf

• Spanish: balar (es)
• Swedish: bräka (sv)
• Turkish: melemek (tr)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic بَاء (bāʔ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɑː/

Noun

baa (plural baas)

1. The letter ب in the Arabic script.

Anagrams

• A.B.A., AAB, ABA, Aba, aba

Afar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaː/ [ˈbaː]
• Hyphenation: baa

Noun

báa m

1. apocopic form of babba

References

• Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015), L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎^[1], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis), page 143

Ahtna

Etymology 1

Partially from Proto-Athabaskan *wa’ (“to be gray”), cognate with Navajo -BAʼ. However, the modern form of the root probably merges multiple older roots.

The noun 'milk' may be related to -baaʼ (“breast”).

Root

baa

1. to be gray

Stem set

Aspect	Imperfective	Perfective	Future	Optative
Neuter	baa	baʼ	baał	baʼ
Transitional	baes	baʼ	baał	baʼ
Repetitive	baes	baes	baes	baes
Customary	baes	baes	baes	baes
Reversative	baex	—	—	—

Derived terms

• (adjective) baay (“gray”)
• dembaaʼ (“silver berry”)
• hwbaa (“morning twilight”)
• kalbaa (“an area is gray, dim”)
• lbaa (“it is gray”)
• nalbaey (“gull”)
• nihbaay (“short-tailed weasel”)
• sbaay (“mountain goat”)
• tsae baa (“jade”)
• tʼeghes baay (“aspen”)
• yesbaa (“snowy owl”)

Noun

baa

1. milk

Derived terms

• baluuʼ (“ice cream”)

References

• Kari, James (1990), Ahtna Athabaskan Dictionary, Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, →ISBN, page 97

Etymology 2

Compare Navajo -ba (“waiting for”).

Alternative forms

• debaa, tbaa

Postposition

baa

1. waiting for

References

• Kari, James (1990), Ahtna Athabaskan Dictionary, Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, →ISBN, page 96

Etymology 3

Postposition

baa (Lower)

1. alternative form of baałe (“in imitation of”)

References

• Kari, James (1990), Ahtna Athabaskan Dictionary, Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, →ISBN, page 98

Bongo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bꜜáà/

Noun

baa

1. river, sea

References

• Moi, Daniel Rabbi and Mario Lau Babur Kuduku, Sister Mary Mangira Michael, Simon Hagimir John, Rapheal Zakenia Paul Mafoi, Nyoul Gulluma Kuduku. 2018. Bongo – English Dictionary. Juba, South Sudan. SIL-South Sudan.

Dagbani

Noun

baa (plural bahi)

1. dog

See also

• bakɔha
• baluli
• bawahiriga
• batɔha
• zɔbaa

Gamilaraay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baː/

Noun

baa

1. hip

References

• Gamilaraay Yuwaalaraay Yuwaalayaay Dictionary 2003

Libon Bikol

Etymology

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

Noun

bahâ

1. flood

Lun Bawang

Adverb

baa

1. very

References

• Ricky Ganang et al. (2008), “baa”, in Kemaloh Lundayeh–English Dictionary, Borneo Research Council, →OCLC, page 28

Mansaka

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bahaq.

Verb

baa

1. to flood

Manx

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛː/

Noun

baa f

1. plural/genitive singular of booa

Mutation

Mutation of baa

radical	lenition	eclipsis
baa	vaa	maa

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Manx.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Moore

Adverb

baa

1. even

Navajo

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *-aˑ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɑ̀ː/

Postposition

baa

1. about him/her/it/them
2. to him/her/it/them
3. into him/her/it/them

   baa níʼą́ ― I gave it to him

Usage notes

In pronunciation, the postposition baa is assimilated by an initial yi- of a following verb to make beei-: baa yishdloh = /beeishdloh/ (I am laughing at him). This does not affect the spelling, however.

Inflection

Forms of baa

	singular	duoplural
1st person	shaa	nihaa
2nd person	naa	nihaa
3rd person	baa
4th person (3o)	yaa
4th person (3a)	haa
4th person (3i)	aa	—
reflexive	ádaa	—
reciprocal	—	ahaa, ałhaa

References

• Young, Robert; Morgan, William; Midgette, Sally (1992), Analytical Lexicon of Navajo, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, →ISBN, page 27

Shoshone

Alternative forms

• paa

Noun

baa

1. (Eastern Shoshone) water

References

• Eastern Shoshone Working Dictionary

Somali

Alternative forms

• aa

Etymology

Compare Blin -ba (emphatic suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɑ̂ː/

Particle

bàa

1. focus marker

References

• “baa”, in Qaamuuska Af-Soomaaliga, 2012

Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Arabic بِغَاء (biḡāʔ).

Noun

baa class V (plural mabaa class VI)

1. evil, plague
2. danger, misfortune

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Vulgar Latin *barra

Old French barrebor.

Middle English barre

English barbor.

Swahili baa

Borrowed from English bar.

Noun

baa class IX (plural baa class X)

1. a bar (social pub for alcoholic drinks)

Wolio

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɓaː/

Noun

baa

1. head

References

• Anceaux, Johannes C. (1987), Wolio Dictionary (Wolio-English-Indonesian) / Kamus Bahasa Wolio (Wolio-Inggeris-Indonesia), Dordrecht: Foris