babbeo

//babˈbɛː.o//insult

What does babbeo mean? babbeo is a Italian mild that translates to “fool, simpleton, dolt” in English.

fool, simpleton

01

"fool, simpleton, dolt"

An old-fashioned insult for a gullible, naive fool. A 'babbeo' isn't malicious — they're just easily tricked, slow on the uptake, and probably wearing their shirt inside out. The word has a cartoonish quality, evoking the village simpleton character from Italian commedia dell'arte tradition.

'Non fare il babbeo!' — don't be a fool! 'Che babbeo, si è fatto fregare' — what a simpleton, he got tricked.