'babism' originates from Arabic and Persian, specifically the word 'bāb', where 'bāb' meant 'gate'. The English form is formed by adding the suffix '-ism' to the title 'Báb'.

'babism' changed from the title 'Báb' (Persian/Arabic) used by Sayyid ʿAlí Muḥammad Shírází to denote himself as a 'gate', and with the addition of the English suffix '-ism' it eventually became the modern English word 'babism' referring to the movement.

Initially, 'bāb' meant 'gate', but over time the term developed into a label for the person (the Báb) and then for the religious movement and its doctrines — the modern meaning of 'babism'.