Bae ( ) is a slang

term of endearment A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address or describe a person, animal or inanimate object for which the speaker feels love or affection. Terms of endearment are used for a variety of reasons, such as parents addressing their ch ...

, primarily used among youth. It came into widespread use around the 2010s through

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

and

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

and R&B lyrics. The term originated as an abbreviation of the word ''baby'' or ''babe''. It has been suggested that the term originated as an acronym for "before anyone else"; this is unlikely and a

false etymology A false etymology (fake etymology or pseudo-etymology) is a false theory about the origin or derivation of a specific word or phrase. When a false etymology becomes a popular belief in a cultural/linguistic community, it is a folk etymology (or po ...

that is probably an example of a

backronym A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...

Popular use

Several

Internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

s have caused the widespread adoption of the term. "Bae caught me slippin featured people posting pictures of themselves pretending to be asleep that were supposedly taken by their partners. Lexicographer

Grant Barrett Grant Barrett (born 1970) is an American lexicographer, specializing in slang, jargon and new usage, and the author and compiler of language-related books and dictionaries. He is a co-host and co-producer of the American weekly, hour-long public ...

wrote that this was "a kind of incompetent narcissistic guile which may capture the spirit of our age". "Cooking for bae" featured people posting photos of failed dishes, often called "struggle meals", supposedly created for their partners. "You got a bae? Or nah?" originated on

Vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

and featured people chanting the phrase. The word's use in song lyrics dates to at least 2004, featuring in JoJo’s hit "

Leave (Get Out) "Leave (Get Out)" is a song by American singer JoJo from her self-titled debut studio album (2004). It was released as the album's lead single and as JoJo's debut single on February 24, 2004. Produced by Danish production duo Soulshock & Karli ...

". In 2014,

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

used it in the title of his single " Come Get It Bae". Chris Kelly of ''

Fact A fact is a truth, true data, datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance. Standard reference works are often used to Fact-checking, check facts. Science, Scientific facts are verified by repeatable careful observation or measurement by ...

'' wrote sarcastically that "nothing says timeless like a song with 'bae' in the title." The word was a runner-up for the

Oxford Dictionaries Oxford dictionary may refer to any dictionary published by Oxford University Press, particularly: Historical dictionaries * ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') * ''Shorter Oxford English Dictionary'', an abridgement of the ''OED'' Single-volu ...

2014 Word of the Year. Barrett nominated it for the

American Dialect Society The American Dialect Society (ADS), founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society p ...

's 2013 Word of the Year. The term has been adopted by corporate social media. The

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

account Brands Saying Bae highlights the use of corporate Twitter accounts employing the term. ''

The Verge ''The Verge'' is an American Technology journalism, technology news website headquarters, headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City and operated by Vox Media. The website publishes news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, cons ...

'' labeled this use as an "appropriation of urban

youth culture Youth culture refers to the societal norms of children, adolescents, and young adults. Specifically, it comprises the processes and symbolic systems that are shared by the youth and are distinct from those of adults in the community. An emphasis ...

References

{{reflist 2000s neologisms 2005 neologisms 2010s slang American slang Romance Internet memes introduced in 2011

Popular use

See also

References