baa

See also: BAA, baaʼ, bää, and bąą

Translingual

Etymology

Abbreviation of English Babatana.

Symbol

baa

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

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.

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

Synonyms

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
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

(onomatopoeia) The characteristic cry of a sheep.

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)

To make the characteristic cry of a sheep.
- 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.

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)
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

From Arabic بَاء (bāʔ).

Noun

baa (plural baas)

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

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

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

Root

baa

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
Reversitative	baex	—	—	—

Derived terms

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

Noun

baa

milk

Derived terms

baluuʼ (“ice cream”)

References

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

Bongo

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bꜜáà/

Noun

baa

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)

dog

Gamilaraay

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /baː/

Noun

baa

hip

References

Gamilaraay Yuwaalaraay Yuwaalayaay Dictionary 2003

Libon Bikol

Etymology

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

Noun

bahâ

flood

Lun Bawang

Adverb

baa

very

References

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

Mansaka

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bahaq.

Verb

baa

to flood

Manx

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bɛː/

Noun

baa f

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

even

Navajo

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *-aˑ.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /pɑ̀ː/

Postposition

baa

about him/her/it/them
to him/her/it/them
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

Shoshone

Alternative forms

paa

Noun

baa

(Eastern Shoshone) water

References

Eastern Shoshone Working Dictionary

Somali

Alternative forms

aa

Particle

baa

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)

evil, plague
danger, misfortune

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English bar.

Noun

baa class IX (plural baa class X)

a bar (social pub for alcoholic drinks)

Wolio

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɓaː/

Noun

baa

head

References

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