babe

«babe» in Mova's school dictionary: a baby: «a babe in arms», the baby Jesus «the babe in the… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 4 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (a babe, babes)

meaning for a pupil

1) (old-fashioned, literary or Bible) A babe is a baby: «a babe in arms», the baby Jesus «the babe in the manger». tree →

2) (informal) «Babe» is a loving name people call their boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife or child, like «darling» or «honey». tree →

3) (slang, can be rude) A «babe» is a word for an attractive person, especially a young woman; many people find this disrespectful. tree →

4) «A babe in the woods» means someone innocent who does not know how the world works. tree →

sense in the lessons

In Christmas carols and Bible stories, «babe» means baby: «Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head… the babe». In everyday talk adults may say «Thanks, babe» to a partner. In stories, «a babe in arms» means a very young baby. Phrases: babe in arms, the babe in the manger, babe in the woods, hey babe.

examples

• The shepherds found the babe lying in a manger. tree →
• She was only a babe in arms when they moved to Ireland. tree →
• «Thanks, babe,» Mum said to Dad. tree →
• (informal) «Night night, babe,» said Mum as she switched off the light. tree →
• He was a babe in the woods when it came to money. tree →
• The carol tells of the babe born in Bethlehem. tree →
• (slang) Calling a stranger «babe» can sound rude. tree →
• Babe is also the name of a famous film about a pig. tree →
• When the morning sun arose, the babe awoke. tree →

note

Countable: a babe, babes. Register matters: «babe» meaning baby is old or poetic; as a pet name it is informal and used between people who are close; calling women you don't know «babe» is disrespectful. «Babes» is also UK slang for friends or partners. Not to be confused with «baby», the everyday word.

In the corpora

• Love you, babe.» Jess is going round the shops with older girls.
• And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
• As for My people, a babe is their master, and women rule over them.
• Their babes also shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «babe» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.