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tower of babel

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Tower of Babel

  [tou-er] .
Use tower of babel in a Sentence
–noun
See under Babel (def. 1).

Ba⋅bel

  [bey-buhl, bab-uhl]
–noun
1. an ancient city in the land of Shinar in which the building of a tower (Tower of Babel) intended to reach heaven was begun and the confusion of the language of the people took place. Gen. 11:4–9.
2. (usually lowercase) a confused mixture of sounds or voices.
3. (usually lowercase) a scene of noise and confusion.
Origin:
< Heb Bābhel Babylon

Related forms:
Ba⋅bel⋅ic  [bey-bel-ik, ba-] , adjective

Synonyms:
3. tumult, turmoil, uproar, bedlam, clamor.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Cultural Dictionary

Babel, Tower of [(bay-buhl, bab-uhl)]

In the Book of Genesis, a tower that the descendants of Noah built. They intended that the tower would reach up to heaven itself, increase their reputation, and make them like God. God prevented them from completing the tower by confusing their language so that they could no longer understand one another's speech. From that time forward, according to the Bible, the peoples of the Earth would be scattered, speaking different languages.

Note: “Babel” is confusion and noise.
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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Word Origin & History

Babel 
capital of Babylon, 1382, from Heb. Babhel (Gen. ix), from Akkadian bab-ilu "Gate of God" (from bab "gate" + ilu "god"). The name is a translation of Sumerian Ka-dingir. Meaning "confused medley of sounds" (1529) is from the biblical story of the Tower of Babel.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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