Babus

/bəˈbuːz/ noun

Definition

Plural form of babua; multiple clerks or office workers, especially in South Asian colonial contexts.

Etymology

From babua plus regular English plural -s.

Kelly Says

The collective noun 'babus' appears throughout colonial Indian literature as a figure of fun—writers loved describing the pretensions and frustrations of these men, and their stories captured a whole era of social change!

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