babbitt
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babbitt¹
- /ˈbæbɪt/ US, UK
- /ˈbæbət/
Rhymes with -æbɪt
Where it comes from
The noun is derived from Babbitt, the surname of the American inventor Isaac Babbitt (1799–1862) who invented the alloy.
The verb is derived from the noun.
noun babbitts · babbit · Babbitt
-
Ellipsis of babbitt metal or Babbitt metal (“a soft white alloy of variable composition used in bearings to diminish friction”).
Running while low on oil had galled the babbitt.
Similar: Babbitt's metal
verb babbitts · babbitting · babbitted · babbit
- To line (something) with babbitt metal to reduce friction. The main bearings were babbitted and line-bored.
babbitt²
- /ˈbæbɪt/ US, UK
- /ˈbæbət/
Rhymes with -æbɪt
Where it comes from
From Babbitt, the surname of George Babbitt, the title character of the novel Babbitt (1922) by the American author Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951). The word was also popularized by the George (1898–1937) and Ira Gershwin (1896–1983) song “The Babbitt and the Bromide”, first featured in the 1927 musical Funny Face and later in the film Ziegfeld Follies (1945).
noun babbitts
- Alternative letter-case form of Babbitt (“a person who subscribes complacently to materialistic middle-class ideals”). One speaks of a babbitt habit, a babbitt era. Nothing is more true. America recognized itself in Babbitt, it demurred, but it also admired.
Babbitt³
- /ˈbæbɪt/ US, UK
- /ˈbæbət/
Rhymes with -æbɪt
proper noun Babbitts
- A surname.
- A city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States.
Babbitt⁴
- /ˈbæbɪt/ US, UK
- /ˈbæbət/
Rhymes with -æbɪt
Where it comes from
From the surname of George Babbitt, the title character of the novel Babbitt (1922) by the American author Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951). The word was also popularized by the George (1898–1937) and Ira Gershwin (1896–1983) song “The Babbitt and the Bromide”, first featured in the 1927 musical Funny Face and later in the film Ziegfeld Follies (1945).
noun Babbitts · Babbit · babbitt
- A person who subscribes complacently to materialistic middle-class ideals. A Babbitt met a Bromide on the avenue one day. They held a conversation in their own peculiar way.
Babbitt⁵
- /ˈbæbɪt/ US, UK
- /ˈbæbət/
Rhymes with -æbɪt
Where it comes from
See babbitt.
noun Babbitts
- Alternative letter-case form of babbitt (“a soft white alloy of variable composition (for example, nine parts of tin to one of copper, or fifty parts of tin to five of antimony and one of copper) used in bearings to diminish friction”). Figure 2 represents a top plan of the "Babbitting" jig, placed in or upon a cast-iron frame, preparatory to the pouring or casting of the "Babbitt" or other soft metal on to or around its journals, to form journal bearings in said cast-iron frame.
Translations
Talk about this word "babbitt." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/babbitt. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. babbitt. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/babbitt "babbitt." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/babbitt.Cite this
@misc{babbitt_2026,
title = {babbitt},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/babbitt},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
