Babylonian

1 of 2

noun

Bab·​y·​lo·​nian ˌba-bə-ˈlō-nyən How to pronounce Babylonian (audio)
-nē-ən
1
: a native or inhabitant of ancient Babylonia or Babylon
2
: the form of the Akkadian language used in ancient Babylonia

Babylonian

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Babylonia or Babylon, the Babylonians, or Babylonian
2
: marked by luxury, extravagance, or the pursuit of sensual pleasure
the Babylonian halls of the big hotelG. K. Chesterton
the Babylonian delights of the city

Examples of Babylonian in a Sentence

Adjective the Babylonian glitter of the city's gold coast
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
The first Temple’s razing, by the Babylonian Empire, occurred in 586 BCE; the second, in 70 CE, was perpetrated by the Romans. Avi Shafran, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2024 The tablets most likely come from Sippar, an ancient city southwest of modern-day Baghdad that flourished during the Babylonian Empire, George tells Live Science’s Owen Jarus. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Aug. 2024 The building was destroyed in 586 BCE when Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II sacked Jerusalem for the second time, effectively destroying the Kingdom of Judah. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 25 May 2023
Adjective
Ethan Hawke's true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his attic, playing them and consequently putting his family in grave danger thanks to the appearance of a Babylonian deity named Bughuul. 39. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 The four tablets analyzed in the new study date to the middle and late Old Babylonian periods (circa 1894 to 1595 B.C.E.), some 4,000 years ago. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Aug. 2024 The formula for its hero product, a natural soap housed in refillable glass bottles, is inspired by 5,000-year-old Babylonian recipes. Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2024 This verse seems to invoke the Babylonian custom of tattooing servants. Gustavo Morello, The Conversation, 10 July 2024 During his reign in the sixth century BC, Cyrus the Great—Kourosh in Persian, Koresh in Hebrew—was famous for having liberated the Jews from Babylonian captivity. Ali M. Ansari, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2024 Ancient Chinese, Chaldean and Babylonian cultures, as far back as 2,500 B.C.E., noticed that certain celestial events, including eclipses, repeated themselves. Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024 Ancient Chinese, Chaldean and Babylonian cultures, as far back as 2,500 BCE, noticed that certain celestial events, including eclipses, repeated themselves. Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024 Robinson sees evidence that the Bible writers were fixated on God’s goodness in the way that this story of the flood differs from superficially similar Babylonian legends, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and Enuma Elish. James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Babylonian was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near Babylonian

Cite this Entry

“Babylonian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Babylonian. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

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