bebé

See also: Appendix:Variations of "bebe"

Asturian

Noun

bebé m (plural bebés)

1. baby (very young human being)

Synonyms

• neñu

Catalan

Noun

bebé m (plural bebés)

1. (Valencia) alternative spelling of bebè

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beˈbe/ [beˈβ̞e]
• Rhymes: -e

Noun

bebé m (plural bebés)

1. baby

   Synonym: nené

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɛbeː]
• Hyphenation: be‧bé
• Rhymes: -beː

Noun

bebé (plural bebék)

1. (music) double flat, the sign 𝄫

   Synonyms: kettős bé, dupla bé

   Hypernym: módosítójel

   Coordinate terms: bé, kereszt, kettős kereszt, feloldójel

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, front unrounded harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	bebé	bebék
accusative	bebét	bebéket
dative	bebének	bebéknek
instrumental	bebével	bebékkel
causal-final	bebéért	bebékért
translative	bebévé	bebékké
terminative	bebéig	bebékig
essive-formal	bebéként	bebékként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	bebében	bebékben
superessive	bebén	bebéken
adessive	bebénél	bebéknél
illative	bebébe	bebékbe
sublative	bebére	bebékre
allative	bebéhez	bebékhez
elative	bebéből	bebékből
delative	bebéről	bebékről
ablative	bebétől	bebéktől
non-attributive possessive – singular	bebéé	bebéké
non-attributive possessive – plural	bebééi	bebékéi

Possessive forms of bebé

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	bebém	bebéim
2nd person sing.	bebéd	bebéid
3rd person sing.	bebéje	bebéi
1st person plural	bebénk	bebéink
2nd person plural	bebétek	bebéitek
3rd person plural	bebéjük	bebéik

Old Tupi

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *βeβe.

Cognate with Paraguayan Guarani veve.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [β̞ɛˈβ̞ɛ]
• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Hyphenation: be‧bé

Adjective

bebé (noun form bebé)

1. flying (that can fly)

   apŷabebé ― angel (literally, “flying man”)

Declension

    Declension of bebé (oral vowel ending) (See Appendix:Old Tupi adjectives)

Note: not all forms are attested. Most of the table is reconstructed based on known patterns.

Causative	mobebé
Deadjectivals
-ba'e	i bebeba'e
-sab(a)	bebeaba / bebesaba
	Singular		Singular & Plural	Plural
	1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person exclusive	1st person inclusive	2nd person
Adjectival forms
Active
Indicative	xe bebé	nde bebé	i bebé	oré bebé	îandé bebé	pe bebé
Imperative
Permissive	ta xe bebé	ta nde bebé	t'i bebé	t'oré bebé	t'îandé bebé	ta pe bebé
Negative indicative	na xe bebéî	na nde bebéî	n'i bebéî	n'oré bebéî	n'îandé bebéî	na pe bebéî
Negative imperative		nde bebé umẽ				pe bebé umẽ
Negative permissive	ta xe bebé umẽ	ta nde bebé umẽ	t'i bebé umẽ	t'oré bebé umẽ	t'îandé bebé umẽ	ta pe bebé umẽ
Gerund
Affirmative	xe bebéramo	nde bebéramo	o bebéramo	oré bebéramo	îandé bebéramo	pe bebéramo
Negative	xe bebee'ymamo	nde bebee'ymamo	o bebee'ymamo	oré bebee'ymamo	îandé bebee'ymamo	pe bebee'ymamo
Nominal forms
Infinitive
Affirmative	bebé
Negative	bebee'yma
Circumstantial
Affirmative	same as gerund1
	xe bebéû2		i bebéû2	oré bebéû2	îandé bebéû2
Negative	same as gerund1
	xe bebee'ymi2		i bebee'ymi2	oré bebee'ymi2	îandé bebee'ymi2
1South Tupi 2North Tupi

Derived terms

• Abarebebé
• apŷabebé
• gûarabebé
• karaibebé
• pirabebé
• îatyrãbebé

Verb

bebé (first-person singular active indicative abebé, first-person singular negative active indicative n'abebéî, noun bebé) (intransitive)

1. to fly
   • 16th century, Joseph of Anchieta, “Outra” (chapter LXXV), in [livrinho de variaſ poeziaſ] [Booklet of various poems], page 173v, column 2, lines 13–16; republished as Maria de Lourdes de Paula Martins, compiler, Poesias, São Paulo, 1956, page 325:

     Jeſu ereme mochi / ciquigeu onhanaupa / Tupã ci rera rẽdupa / obebe yandeçui

     [Jesu 'ereme moxy / sykyîéû onhana'upa / Tupã sy rera rendupa / obebé îandé suí]

     When he says “Jesus”, the evil ones run away in fear. Hearing the Mother of God's name, they fly away from us.

   • c. 1583, Joseph of Anchieta, “Na feſta de .ſ. L^ço [At the Saint Lawrence Festival]” (chapter XLIV), in [livrinho de variaſ poeziaſ] [Booklet of various poems], Niterói, page 150v, column 2, lines 263–264; republished as Maria de Lourdes de Paula Martins, compiler, Poesias, São Paulo, 1956, page 285:

     Jrô xejar abebe / co tata xeçoagoera

     [Irõ xe îar abebé / kó tatá xe soagûera]

     Here I am, my master, I flew. Here is the fire I went after.

   • c. 1585, Joseph of Anchieta, “[Na Aldeia de Guaraparim] [In the Village of Guaraparim]” (chapter LXIV), in [livrinho de variaſ poeziaſ] [Booklet of various poems], Guarapari, page 150, lines 183–187; republished as Maria de Lourdes de Paula Martins, compiler, Poesias, São Paulo, 1956, page 284:

     Paranagoaçu raçapa / ibitiribo guibebebo / aço Tupi moangaipapa / ae re muru mõbapa / xeratape ceroiquebo

     [Paranãgûasu rasapa / ybytyrybo gûibebébo / asó tupi moangaîpapa / a'e ré muru mombapa / xe ratápe seroîkébo]

     Crossing the ocean, flying over the mountains, I went to make the Tupi sin, bringing them to my fire after that to kill the damned.

Conjugation

    Conjugation of bebé (intransitive, oral vowel ending) (See Appendix:Old Tupi verbs)

Note: not all forms are attested, most of the table is reconstructed based on known patterns.

Causative	mobebé
Causative-comitative	erobebé
Deverbals
-ba'e	obebeba'e
-sab(a)	bebeaba / bebesaba
-sar(a)	bebeara / bebesara
	Singular		Singular and Plural	Plural
	1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person exclusive	1st person inclusive	2nd person
Verbal forms
Active
Indicative	abebé	erebebé	obebé	orobebé	îabebé	pebebé
Permissive	t'abebé	t'erebebé	t'obebé	t'orobebé	t'îabebé	ta pebebé
Imperative		ebebé				pebebé
Negative indicative	n'abebéî	n'erebebéî	n'obebéî	n'orobebéî	n'îabebéî	na pebebéî
Negative permissive	t'abebé umẽ	t'erebebé umẽ	t'obebé umẽ	t'orobebé umẽ	t'îabebé umẽ	ta pebebé umẽ
Negative imperative		ebebé umẽ				pebebé umẽ
Gerund
Affirmative	gûibebébo	ebebébo	obebébo	orobebébo	îabebébo	pebebébo
Negative	gûibebee'yma	ebebee'yma	obebee'yma	orobebee'yma	îabebee'yma	pebebee'yma
Nominal forms
Infinitive
Affirmative	bebé
Negative	bebee'yma
Circumstantial
Affirmative	xe bebéû		i bebéû	oré bebéû	îandé bebéû
Negative	xe bebee'ymi		i bebee'ymi	oré bebee'ymi	îandé bebee'ymi

Descendants

• Nheengatu: wewé

References

• Navarro, Eduardo de Almeida (2013), “bebé”, in Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil [Dictionary of Old Tupi: The Classical Indigenous Language of Brazil ] (overall work in Portuguese), São Paulo: Global, →ISBN, page 80, columns 1–2

Portuguese

bebé

Alternative forms

• bebê (Brazil)

Etymology

Borrowed from French bébé.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /bɛˈbɛ/ [bɛˈβɛ]

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛ
• Hyphenation: be‧bé

Noun

bebé m or f by sense (plural bebés) (European Portuguese spelling)

1. baby

   Synonym: (Brazil) neném

Further reading

• “bebé”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026

Saramaccan

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese beber.

Verb

bebé

1. to drink

References

• bebé in Languages of Suriname, SIL International, 2003-2007, Saramaccan-English Dictionary

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beˈbe/ [beˈβ̞e]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -e
• Syllabification: be‧bé

Etymology 1

Mira a este bebé insoportablemente lindito. ¡Míralo!

Look at this unbearably cute baby. Look at him!

Borrowed from French bébé.

Alternative forms

• bebe (dialectal)

Noun

bebé m or f (plural bebés)

1. baby

   Synonyms: (Andes) guagua, nene, nena

Synonyms

See also Thesaurus:bebé.

Derived terms

• bebecita
• bebecito
• bebetón
• bebetona
• bebezona
• bebezota
• bebezote
• bebita
• bebito
• portabebés
• suave como el culito de un bebé

Etymology 2

Verb

bebé

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of beber

Further reading

• “bebé”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025