Word
babylon
Phoneticsbaby·lon
/ˈbæbəˌɫɑn/
Definitions
01ancient city
n. a famous ancient city in Iraq known for its great wealth and power in history.
n. the ancient capital of Babylonia, situated on the Euphrates; often used to symbolize a city of immense wealth, luxury, or perceived vice.
“The ruins of Babylon are located about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad.”
“Historians often describe Babylon as a center of scientific and cultural advancement in the ancient world, despite its biblical reputation for decadence.”
03corrupt society
n. a name for modern society or government when it is seen as greedy, unfair, or corrupt.
n. in Rastafarian belief, a term for Western capitalist society and oppressive systems, contrasted with the spiritual ideal of Zion.
“He moved to the countryside to escape the stress and greed of Babylon.”
“The artist's work explores the tension between the materialistic demands of Babylon and the search for spiritual truth.”
Slang · Dialect
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
Partially inherited from Old English Babilōn/Babȳlōn, partially from Latin Babylōn, from Ancient Greek Βαβυλών (Babulṓn), from Akkadian 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (Bābilim, literally “Gate of God”); the name of the ancient Chaldean capital and Biblical city of the Apocalypse. Doublet of Babel.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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