Word of the Day, July 25: 'Babel'

Word of the Day: BABEL
Pronunciation: UK /ˈbeɪ.bəl/, or US /ˈbæ.bəl/

Meaning:
'Babel' refers to a scene of confusion caused by many people speaking at once.

Examples for daily usage:

• The busy railway station became a babel of voices during the holiday rush.
• The international conference was a babel of languages from around the world.

Origin and history:

The word comes from the Middle English Babel, which derives from the Hebrew word Bābhel. The Hebrew term ultimately originates from the Akkadian phrase bāb-ilu, which translates literally to "gate of God". The word is also closely associated with the biblical Tower of Babel in Genesis, where the confusion of languages occurred.

The English word entered the language in the 14th century through biblical and Latin influences.

Cultural significance and modern usage:

The story (from Genesis 11) recounts how humanity attempted to build a tower to the heavens, prompting God to scatter the people and confuse their speech to stop them. Traditionally, it has been interpreted as a lesson in humility, warning against unchecked human pride (hubris) and the dangers of a monolithic culture.

In everyday speech, a "babel" (or often "a babel of voices") refers to a chaotic, noisy confusion of different sounds, opinions, or languages. For example: “The convention floor was a babel of competing conversations.”

Interesting facts:

• Babel originally referred to the ancient city of Babylon.
• The famous painting The Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder is among the most recognised artistic depictions of the biblical tale.

Examples from literature

1. My nightly mountains of homework made the Tower of Babel look like a toothpick, and it was only worsened by my late shifts at Finnegan’s. - Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
2. Black person to black person, and neither could understand the other—the Tower of Babel. -Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
3. No one now reads his scholarly disquisitions on the Tower of Babel, or on the Scribes and the Pharisees. - The Invention of Science by David Wootton
4. This premier city was the cradle of ancient art and architecture, as well as the site of both the Hanging Gardens and Tower of Babel. - The Annotated Mona Lisa by Carol Strickland and John Boswell

Synonyms:

• Bedlam

• Madhouse

• Circus

Read more word of the day here.