Wiktionary

Babylon

See also: babylon, Babylón, Ba-by-lon, and Ba-by-lôn

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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 Babylon (disambiguation) on Wikipedia

Etymology

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Partially inherited from Old English Babilōn/Babȳlōn, partially from Latin Babylōn, from Ancient Greek Βαβυλών (Babulṓn), from Akkadian 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (Bābilim, literally “Gate of God”); the name of the ancient Chaldean capital and Biblical city of the Apocalypse. Doublet of Babel.

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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Babylon

  2. (historical) An ancient city, the ancient capital of Babylonia in modern Iraq, built on the banks of the Euphrates.
  3. A governate in Iraq.
  4. Any city of great wealth, luxury and vice.
    • 1921, Ben Travers, A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
      Mother […] considered that the exclusiveness of Peter's circle was due not to its distinction, but to the fact that it was an inner Babylon of prodigality and whoredom, from which every Kensingtonian held aloof, except on the conventional tip-and-run excursions in pursuit of shopping, tea and theatres.
  5. (Rastafari) Western civilization, seen as corrupt and materialistic, and contrasted with Zion.
  6. (Jamaica, MLE) The police.
    • 2017 September 24, Emma Jones, “Crime, sexism and a near death experience - former police officer lifts the lid on the hidden secrets of the force”, in Daily Mirror‎[1]:
      When I was the first officer on the scene at a nightclub brawl, I was picked up by the throat and strangled by a huge Rastafarian who was trying to kill me. I was losing consciousness when Marlon told him to let me go.
      I remember him saying, ‘She’s alright for Babylon. Put her down.’ He dropped me and I ran to the station with massive bruises around my neck.
  7. An unincorporated community in Fulton County, Illinois, United States.
  8. A town and village therein, in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, United States.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Czech

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Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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Babylon m inan (relational adjective babylonský, demonym Babyloňan)

  1. (historical) Babylon (an ancient city, the ancient capital of Babylonia in modern Iraq, built on the banks of the Euphrates)

Declension

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Declension of Babylon (sg-only hard masculine inanimate)
singular
nominative Babylon
genitive Babylonu
dative Babylonu
accusative Babylon
vocative Babylone
locative Babyloně, Babylonu
instrumental Babylonem

Further reading

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  • “Babylon”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957

Danish

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Proper noun

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Babylon

  1. (historical) Babylon (an ancient city, the ancient capital of Babylonia in modern Iraq, built on the banks of the Euphrates)

Dutch

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Etymology

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From Middle Dutch Babylone, from Latin Babylōn, from Ancient Greek Βαβυλών (Babulṓn).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈbaː.biˌlɔn/
  • Hyphenation: Ba‧by‧lon

Proper noun

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Babylon n

  1. (historical) Babylon (an ancient city, the ancient capital of Babylonia in modern Iraq, built on the banks of the Euphrates)
    Synonym: Babel

Derived terms

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Jamaican Creole

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Etymology

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From English Babylon.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈbabɪlan/
  • Hyphenation: Ba‧by‧lon

Proper noun

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Babylon

  1. (historical) Babylon (an ancient city, the ancient capital of Babylonia in modern Iraq, built on the banks of the Euphrates)
  2. (slang) cops, police[1] (law enforcement organisation)
    A: Wah happen to di music? B: Babylon lock off di sound.
    A: What happened to the music? B: The police shut down the sound system.
    • 1976, N. D. Williams · 1976, Ikael Torass, →ISBN, page 288:
      “Then she a-show I seh well right now she a-go call Babylon bwoy dem ofe carry I go gaol.”
      So she was explaining to me that she was about to call the police so that they'd take me to jail.
    • 2011, Marcus Bethel, Scars and Stripes: The Lasting Impression, →ISBN, page 83:
      “All inna Buckingham Palace Iyah. Herb haffi burn! De healin' ah de nation haffi burn ... Rasta, I an I ah go leave before de Babylon cum pan de seen, Zeen.”
      Yes Sir, even in Buckingham Palace. We have to smoke marijuana! The healing of the nation needs to be smoked ... Hey man, I'm going to leave before the cops get here, you know what I mean?
  3. (slang) an oppressive government or system[2]
    Bun dung Babylon!
    Down with the oppressive government!
    • 1987, Paul McGilchrist, Black Voices: An Anthology of ACER'S Black Young Writers Competition, →ISBN, page 110:
      “[...] Black man can't live in a Babylon yu nah see it, we must return to our own land, back to Africa ; the Black man won't get no power , no justice inna Babylon [...]”
      [...] Blacks shouldn't live in this oppressive system. Don't you see? We have to return to our land, back to Africa. Blacks won't get any power. There's no justice in this oppressive system.

References

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  1. ^ Richard Allsopp, editor (1996), Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press, published 2003, →ISBN, page 55
  2. ^ Richard Allsopp, editor (1996), Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press, published 2003, →ISBN, page 55

Latin

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Etymology

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From Ancient Greek Βαβυλών (Babulṓn), from Akkadian 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (Bābilim, literally “Gate of God”), the name of the ancient Chaldean capital and Biblical city of the Apocalypse.

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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Babylōn f (genitive Babylōnis); third declension

  1. (historical) Babylon (an ancient city, the ancient capital of Babylonia in modern Iraq, built on the banks of the Euphrates)

Declension

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Third-declension noun.

singular plural
nominative Babylōn Babylōnēs
genitive Babylōnis Babylōnum
dative Babylōnī Babylōnibus
accusative Babylōnem Babylōnēs
ablative Babylōne Babylōnibus
vocative Babylōn Babylōnēs

Also Greek forms Babylōna (accusative) and Babylōnos (genitive).

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References

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  • “Babylon”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • Babylon in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • “Babylon”, in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia‎[2]
  • “Babylon”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • “Babylon”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly

Old English

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Proper noun

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Babylōn f

  1. Alternative form of Babilōn

Scots

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Proper noun

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Babylon

  1. (historical) Babylon (an ancient city, the ancient capital of Babylonia in modern Iraq, built on the banks of the Euphrates)

Swedish

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Etymology

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From Latin Babylon, from Ancient Greek Βαβυλών (Babulṓn), from Akkadian 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (Bābilim).

Proper noun

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Babylon

  1. (historical) Babylon (an ancient city, the ancient capital of Babylonia in modern Iraq, built on the banks of the Euphrates)

References

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