babu

Where does the word "babu" come from? It comes from Hindi babu, passing through Bengali before entering English (1782).

Babu’s story begins in Hindi: babu meant “a term of respect; sir.” A title of respect, perhaps originally meaning 'father'. By 18th c., the word had taken hold in Bengali as babu. In Bengal came to denote an educated native clerk who wrote English. It reached English by 1782 as babu. British colonials adopted the word, sometimes with a disparaging tone for stilted English usage. Today, babu means historically, a title of respect in South Asia, or (dated, often disparaging) a native clerk fluent in English.

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