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Stage 1 of 3
babu
Hindi · medieval
"a term of respect; sir"
a title of respect, perhaps originally meaning 'father'
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Stage 2 of 3
babu
Bengali · 18th c.
"a native clerk; an educated Bengali gentleman"
in Bengal came to denote an educated native clerk who wrote English
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Stage 3 of 3
babu
English · 1782
"an Indian clerk; overly formal, bookish English"
British colonials adopted the word, sometimes with a disparaging tone for stilted English usage
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