Spanish Conversation · Level 105
60 words
Spanish word
baba
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈbaβa/
Meaning
- feminine noundrool
Example
El bebé tiene baba en la cara.
The baby has drool on his face.
More examples
La camiseta tenía baba del bebé.
The shirt had the baby's drool.
Core concept
Clear slightly sticky saliva pooling at the corner of a baby's mouth.
Common phrases
limpiar baba
wipe away drool
baba seca
dried drool
Similar words
babeo: Saliva continuously runs from the mouth and drips down the chin.
saliva: Clear mouth fluid keeps the mouth wet and helps break down food.
Definition in Spanish
Líquido claro y algo espeso que sale de la boca, especialmente el que producen los bebés y que puede acumularse en la comisura de los labios.
Word origin
Spanish baba derives from an onomatopoeic reduplicated form in early Romance and is cognate with Italian bava and Portuguese baba, all naming saliva or a viscous mouth secretion.
Usage tips
- Colloquial term often used for babies or animals; the verb babear is used literally and figuratively and the phrase se le cae la baba means to be smitten or to gush over someone.
Other meanings
- salivanoun
- slimenoun
Opposites
- sequedaddrynessnoun
Related words
- baberobibnoun
- babeardroolverb