m. b. babbitt
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ɪt noun
1.
Irving, 1865–1933, U.S. educator and critic.
2.
Milton Byron, born 1916, U.S. composer.
3.
( italics ) a novel (1922) by Sinclair Lewis.
4.
( often lowercase ) a self-satisfied person who conforms readily to conventional, middle-class ideas and ideals, especially of business and material success; Philistine: from the main character in the novel by Sinclair Lewis.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To m. b. babbitt
Collins
World English Dictionary
babbitt (ˈbæbɪt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| (tr) to line (a bearing) or face (a surface) with Babbitt metal or a similar soft alloy | |
00:10
M. b. babbitt
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| Babbitt (ˈbæbɪt) | |
| —n | |
| derogatory (US) a narrow-minded and complacent member of the middle class | |
| [C20: after George Babbitt, central character in the novel Babbitt (1922) by Sinclair Lewis] | |
| 'Babbittry | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
Babbitt
"conventional, complacent, materialistic American businessman," 1923, from George Babbitt, title character of Sinclair Lewis' novel (1922).
"His name was George F. Babbitt. He was forty-six years old now, in April 1920, and he made nothing in particular, neither butter nor shoes nor poetry, but he was nimble in the selling of houses for more money than people could afford to pay." [Sinclair Lewis, "Babbitt," 1922]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
Babbitt definition
(1922) A novel by Sinclair Lewis. The title character, an American real estate agent in a small city, is portrayed as a crass, loud, overoptimistic boor who thinks only about money and speaks in clichés, such as “You've gotta have pep, by golly!”
Note: By extension, a “Babbitt” is a narrow-minded, materialistic businessman.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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