baa
UK [bɑː] · US [bæ] noun, interjection, verb, proper noun
- noun (onomatopoeia) The characteristic cry or bleating of a sheep or (broader) a sheep or goat.
- interjection (onomatopoeia) The characteristic cry of a sheep or (broader) a sheep or goat.
- verb To make the characteristic cry of a sheep or (broader) a sheep or goat.
- noun The letter ب in the Arabic script.
- proper noun An administrative atoll of the Maldives, officially named Maalhosmadulu Dhekunuburi.
Synonyms
Etymology
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.
Borrowed from Arabic بَاء (bāʔ).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Cf. G. bäen; an imitative word.]
Etymology [Cf. G. bä.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “baa”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details