# etymology of "baby"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-baby/6454>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 22, 2000, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-baby/6454 "2000-01-22T21:50:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Momoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Momoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Momoe)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2000, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-baby/6454/1 "2000-01-22T21:50:00Z")

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When did the word “baby” start being used in a romantic sense as a way to refer to one’s signifcant other?

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**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2000, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-baby/6454/2 "2000-01-23T06:09:00Z")

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Wasn’t there a time in the fifties when pedophilia was all the rage?

Actually, that does sound interesting. It is either very old or very new, and is probably because of the youth and close connections it represents.

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I sold my soul to Satan for a dollar. I got it in the mail.