ali baba
/ˈælɪˌbɑbə/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.51 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
The fictional protagonist of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, famous for his encounter with forty thieves and their treasure trove cave that opens on the command "open sesame".
noun
An extremely lucky person, especially one who acquires a large fortune by luck or by chance.
Slang
noun
A large container, such as a jar or a basket, with a flat base and usually a rounded body that tapers to a narrower neck.
noun
Alternative letter-case form of Ali Baba.
Example Sentences
- "Towering over all these are the huge Ali Baba baskets, square at the bottom, round at the top, and fitted with square covers that pull down like a Dutch smoker's cap."
- "We found little piles in the oddest places - the oddest being within an Ali Baba jar some six feet high."
- "Behind what looked like—but surely couldn't be—an oversized Ali Baba laundry basket dribbling earth and pebbles over the floor, peeped a save."
- "And don’t forget to put your dirty clothes in the Ali Baba."
Etymology
From Arabic علي بابا. The use of Ali Baba to designate a type of container originates from the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (see the use as proper noun below), suggesting the appearance of the oil jars in which the thieves hide in the story.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: علي بابا