Dictionary

bae en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /beɪ/
• bā
• (Canada) audio

Etymology

Syncopic form of babe or baby. Notably, it is sometimes incorrectly linked to the unrelated Danish word bæ (“poop”). Sometimes claimed to derive from "before anyone else", a possible backronym.

Meanings

1. (slang) Darling (term of endearment).
   • And if you actually want to see your bae – you know, like in person – You better set aside some of your refund check to pay for the $26 train ticket to a school that lingers outside of the tri-state area. 2013, "Jack", "Jack & Jill: On High School Relationships", The Torch (St. John's University), Volume 91, Issue 5, 28 August 2013, page 9
   • A fresh pic of you and your bae on vacay together? Who wouldn't “like” that?!? 2014, "How Steamy Is Your PDA?", Seventeen, June/July 2014, page 98
   • Your newsfeed gets clogged with statuses like “Happy Valentine’s Day to my bae! I’ve loved you so much ever since we first met three months, eight days, 11 hours and 27 minutes ago!” 2014, Laken Howard, "Pillow Talk: Let's talk about V-day", The Current (entertainment insert of The Daily Northwestern, Northwestern University), 13 February 2014, page 3

Forms

Deriveds

baecation · baeless

Synonyms

darling · significant other · sweetheart · loved one · special someone · babe · dear · baby · love

bae en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /beɪ/
• bā
• (Canada) audio

Etymology

From Korean 배 (bae).

Meanings

1. Asian pear.

Forms

bae en · VERB · etymology 3

Pronunciation

• /beɪ/
• bā
• (Canada) audio

Etymology

From Old French bay, combined with aphetized form of abay; verbal form Old French baier, abaier.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To make the sound of a wild animal, to bay.
   • He's a lamb indeed, that baes like a bear. c. 1598, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, act 3, scene 3, line 70:
   • ...the ewe that will not hear her lamb when it baes will never answer a calf when he bleats. c. 1608, William Shakespeare, Coriolanus, act 2, scene 1, line 10:

Forms