1. n.1 (in full Babbitt metal) any of a group of soft alloys of tin, antimony, copper, and usu. lead, used for lining bearings etc., to diminish friction.
2 (babbitt) a bearing-lining made of this.
Etymology: I. Babbitt, Amer. inventor d. 1862 2. n. a materialistic, complacent businessman.
Derivatives:
Babbittry n.
Etymology: George Babbitt, a character in the novel Babbitt (1922) by S. Lewis