n.
Pronunciation: ' b ā -b ə l, ' ba-
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Hebrew B ā bhel, from Akkadian b ā b-ilu gate of god
Date: 14th century
1 : a city in Shinar where the building of a tower is held in Genesis to have been halted by the confusion of tongues
2 often not capitalized a : a confusion of sounds or voices b : a scene of noise or confusion