Main Entry: Ba·bel

Pronunciation: \ˈbā-bəl, ˈba-\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Hebrew Bābhel, from Akkadian bāb-ilu gate of god

Date: 14th century

1 : a city in Shinar where the building of a tower is held in Genesis to have been halted by the confusion of tongues
2 often not capitalized a : a confusion of sounds or voices b : a scene of noise or confusion