Baubau

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A port city on Buton Island in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia ; a playful nursery word imitating the bark of a dog
2. A coastal city located on Buton Island in Indonesia ; a childish term that copies the sound a dog makes when it barks
3. An Indonesian port on Buton Island in southeastern Sulawesi ; a nursery sound representing the yapping bark of a dog

Etymology: "Baubau" is a place name, the name of a city on Buton Island in southeastern Sulawesi, Indonesia. The English word was borrowed from Indonesian, where the name of the city is spelled the same way, so the word carries no meaning in English beyond referring to that place. Its reduplicated form, with the same syllable repeated, is a common pattern in Indonesian place names and everyday vocabulary, giving the name its distinctive sound.