'babelism' originates from Hebrew, specifically the word 'Bavel' (בָּבֶל) referring to Babylon; the name came into English as 'Babel'. The English suffix '-ism' (via Greek/Latin) was added to form a noun meaning a state or condition.

'Babel' entered English through Latin and Old French from the Biblical Hebrew 'Bavel'; the formation 'babelism' developed later in English by adding the suffix '-ism' to denote a condition or practice, yielding the modern word 'babelism'.

Initially, 'Babel' referred to the place name (Babylon) and the biblical story; over time it came to denote 'confusion (of tongues)', and 'babelism' evolved to mean the state of noisy or linguistic confusion described above.