baa

Meaning

Noun

The characteristic cry or bleating of a sheep.

Intj

The characteristic cry of a sheep.

Verb

To make the characteristic cry of a sheep.

Synonyms

bleat

blat

blate

bleating

meh

moo

Translations

bêler

belare

balar

blöken

blaten

βελάζω

belato

melemek

bêlement

belar

mähen

βέλασμα

bel

mäh

Pronounced as (IPA)

[bɑː]

Etymology

Cognate with German: bäh

In summary

Compare German bäh, mäh; an imitative word.
Notes on phonological development
The pronunciation /bɑː/ is perhaps a development from earlier /bæː/ reflecting the shift of /æː/ to /ɑː/ during the 18th and 19th centuries. Compare Early Modern English bae, bea, both "to baa", respectively displaying the then current pronunciation of Middle English /aː/ as /æː/ and the failure of Middle English /ɛː/ to raise, and the replacement of mew with meow for another instance where recent sound change has made onomatopoeia opaque.