Baba (Persian: Template:Nq "father, grandfather, wise old man, sir";[1]) is an honorific term, of Persian origin,[2] used in several West Asian and South Asian cultures.
It is used as a mark of respect to refer to Hindu and Sikh ascetics (sannyasis) and is used as a suffix or prefix to their names, e.g. Sai Baba, Baba Ramdevji, etc.[1][3] Baba is also a title accorded to the head of certain order of Sufi heads, as in Baba Bulleh Shah and Rehman Baba.[1] The term was also adopted in Malaysia as an honorific of respect to address Chinese people born in British Straits Settlement.[2][4]
Baba is also the familiar word for "father" in many languages (see mama and papa); in India it has even been adapted to address male children.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Platts, John T. (John Thompson). A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English. London: W. H. Allen & Co., 1884.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Baba in The Oxford English dictionary{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Clarendon Press(1989). ISBN 0-19-861186-2
- ↑ Imperial Gazetteer of India{{#if:Hunter|, Hunter}. Clarendon Press(1908)
- ↑ Southeast Asia : A Historical Encyclopedia, From Angkor Wat to East Timor{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. ABC-CLIO(2004). ISBN 1-57607-770-5