Emerged in the 14th century, probably imitating the 'ba-ba' babbling of infants — one of English's rare purely onomatopoeic core words.
A very young child, especially one that has not yet begun to walk or talk.
From Middle English 'babi, babie,' probably an imitative or 'nursery word' reduplication of the syllable 'ba-,' mimicking an infant's babbling. No secure PIE root exists; the word belongs to a class of expressive formations found across languages where infant vocalisations generate vocabulary. Compare Welsh 'baban,' Old French 'babée' (a doll or small figure), and
The word 'baby' is one of the rare major English words that appears to be purely onomatopoeic — imitating the 'ba-ba' sounds infants universally make. The consonant /b/ is one of the first sounds human babies produce, because it only requires closing the lips, which is why words for 'baby' and 'father/mother' in many unrelated languages cluster around /b/, /m/, /p/, and /d/ sounds.