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.
Meanings
(onomatopoeic) The characteristic cry of a sheep or (broader) a sheep or goat.
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
bah
alternative, obsolete
lexicographic
Translations (35)
fi mää (cry of sheep) · ru бэ-бэ (cry of sheep) · cmn 咩 (cry of sheep) · af bê (cry of sheep) · haw heʻehe (cry of sheep) · sh бе (cry of sheep) · de bäh (cry of sheep) · grc βῆ (cry of sheep) · ja メー (cry of sheep) · el μπε (cry of sheep) · da mæ (cry of sheep) · gd mè (cry of sheep) · cs bé (cry of sheep) · eo be (cry of sheep) · fr bê (cry of sheep) · ru ме (cry of sheep) · fi bää (cry of sheep) · de mäh (cry of sheep) · fr bè (cry of sheep) · fo mæ (cry of sheep) · is mee (cry of sheep) · pt bé (cry of sheep) · ca be (cry of sheep) · ru бе (cry of sheep) · tr me (cry of sheep) · no bæ (cry of sheep) · ca mè (cry of sheep) · pl be (cry of sheep) · hu bee (cry of sheep) · sh be (cry of sheep) · sv bä (cry of sheep) · da mæh (cry of sheep) · it beè (cry of sheep) · la bee (cry of sheep) · ca bee (cry of sheep)
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.
Meanings
(onomatopoeic) The characteristic cry or bleating of a sheep or (broader) a sheep or goat.
sv bä (bleating of sheep) · fr bêlement (bleating of sheep) · cmn 發咩聲 /发咩声 (bleating of sheep) · sv bräkande (bleating of sheep) · haw māʻāʻā (bleating of sheep) · ar مَأْمَأَة (bleating of sheep) · tr me (bleating of sheep) · mk блеење (bleating of sheep) · ja 羊の鳴き声 (bleating of sheep) · is jarm (bleating of sheep) · pl bek (bleating of sheep) · no bæ (bleating of sheep) · cs bečení (bleating of sheep) · fi mää (bleating of sheep) · ckb باعە (bleating of sheep) · it belato (bleating of sheep) · fo jarm (bleating of sheep) · es be (bleating of sheep) · nv meeʼ (bleating of sheep) · tr meleme (bleating of sheep) · pl beczenie (bleating of sheep) · sh blejanje (bleating of sheep) · sh блејање (bleating of sheep) · pt balido (bleating of sheep) · ca bel (bleating of sheep) · vi be be (bleating of sheep) · ru бле́яние (bleating of sheep) · haw heʻehe (bleating of sheep) · de Blöken (bleating of sheep) · nl bè (bleating of sheep) · es balido (bleating of sheep) · el βέλασμα (bleating of sheep) · it bè (bleating of sheep)
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.
Meanings
To make the characteristic cry of a sheep or (broader) a sheep or goat.
Near-synonyms: blat, bleat (broad enough to include calves too)
He treble baas for help, but none can get. 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:
The lamb bunted several irresponsive objects - never its dam's udder - baaing listlessly. 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:
ru бле́ять (to make the cry of sheep) · de mähen (to make the cry of sheep) · ang blǣtan (to make the cry of sheep) · sl blejati (to make the cry of sheep) · no breke (to make the cry of sheep) · eo bei (to make the cry of sheep) · is jarma (to make the cry of sheep) · sv bräka (to make the cry of sheep) · cs mečet (to make the cry of sheep) · es balar (to make the cry of sheep) · hu béget (to make the cry of sheep) · pt balar (to make the cry of sheep) · nl blaten (to make the cry of sheep) · sh blejati (to make the cry of sheep) · tr melemek (to make the cry of sheep) · de blöken (to make the cry of sheep) · da bræge (to make the cry of sheep) · ca belar (to make the cry of sheep) · pt balir (to make the cry of sheep) · dsb bjacaś (to make the cry of sheep) · sh блејати (to make the cry of sheep) · cs bečet (to make the cry of sheep) · fi määkiä (to make the cry of sheep) · de bähen (to make the cry of sheep) · el βελάζω (to make the cry of sheep) · it belare (to make the cry of sheep) · pl beczeć (to make the cry of sheep) · fo jarma (to make the cry of sheep) · ja （羊が）鳴く (to make the cry of sheep) · fr bêler (to make the cry of sheep) · la bālō (to make the cry of sheep) · sk bečať (to make the cry of sheep)