Babylon

English

Etymology

From Latin Babylōn, from Ancient Greek Βαβυλών, from Akkadian bāb ili ‘Gate of God’, translation of Sumerian Ka-dingir; the name of the ancient Chaldean capital and Biblical city of the Apocalypse.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈbæbɪ.lɒn/
• (US) IPA: /ˈbæbɪ.lɑn/

Proper noun

Babylon

1. Capital of Babylonia in the 2nd and 1st century BC.
2. Any city of great wealth, luxury and vice.
3. (Rastafarianism) Western civilization, seen as corrupt and materialistic, and contrasted with Zion.

Translations

capital of Babylonia

• Arabic: بابل (ar) (bābil) m
• Aramaic:

  Syriac: ܒܒܠ (Bāvēl, Bovēl)

• Armenian: Բաբելոն (hy) (Babelon) 
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 巴比倫 (cmn), 巴比伦 (cmn) (Bābǐlún)

• Dutch: Babylon (nl), Babel (nl)
• Finnish: Babylonia (fi)
• French: Babylone (fr) f
• Greek: Βαβυλώνα (el) (Vavylóna) f 

  Ancient: Βαβυλών

• Hebrew: בָּבֶל (he) (bavel) m
• Hungarian: Babilon (hu)
• Irish: An Bhablóin (ga) f
• Japanese: バビロン (ja) (Babiron)

• Korean: 바빌론 (ko) (Babillon)
• Latin: Babylon (la)
• Marathi: बॅबिलॉन (mr) (bǎbilǒna)
• Old Persian: 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 (Bābiru)
• Persian: بابل (fa) (Bâbel)
• Portuguese: Babilônia (pt)
• Russian: Вавилон (ru) (Vavilón) m 
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: Бабилон (sh) m

  Roman: Bȁbilon (sh) m

• Spanish: Babilonia (es) f
• Turkish: Babil (tr)
• Volapük: Babylon (vo), Babülon (vo)

Derived terms

• Babylonia
• Babylonian
• Whore of Babylon

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Latin

Proper noun

Babylōn (genitive Babylōnis); f, third declension

1. (geography) Babylon

Inflection

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	Babylōn	Babylōnēs
genitive	Babylōnis	Babylōnum
dative	Babylōnī	Babylōnibus
accusative	Babylōnem	Babylōnēs
ablative	Babylōne	Babylōnibus
vocative	Babylōn	Babylōnēs

Related terms

• Babylōnia
• Babylōniacus
• Babylōnicus
• Babylōniensis
• Babylōnius

References

Babylon in Charlton T. Lewis & Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879