Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 11, 2026

Bibi (title)

Bibi is frequently used as a respectful title for Muslim, Christian and Sikh women in South Asia when added to the given name.

Last revised
Jul 11, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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Source
Portrait of a Bibi, Lucknow (Oudh State) 1785 source ↗

Bibi (pronounced [ˈbiːbiː]) is frequently used as a respectful title for Muslim, Christian and Sikh women in South Asia when added to the given name.12

Bibi, like Begum, is used as a surname by many women in the region.3

In Anglo-Indian, the term bibi came to be seen as a synonym for mistress.2

Etymology

The word "Bibi", which made its way into the Pashto and Urdu language, was originally borrowed from Classical Persian (بی‌بی bī-bī). It was translated as "grandma" (chiefly in Pashto, Dari, Tajik). Besides this it was also used as respectful title to address senior women.4

Notable people known by this title

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Nevile, Pran (2000). "Bibis and mistresses". The Hindu. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  2. Hyam, Ronald (1990). Empire and Sexuality: The British Experience. Manchester University Press. p. 115. ISBN 9780719025044. Retrieved 31 October 2018. Bibi is a Hindustani word meaning 'high-class woman', which in Hobson-Jobson 'Anglo-Indian' parlance came to mean native mistress.
  3. A. R. Gatrad; Aziz Sheikh (2001). "Muslim birth customs". Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 84 (1). Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed2001;84:F6-F8 doi:10.1136/fn.84.1.F6: 6F–8. doi:10.1136/fn.84.1.F6. PMC 1721205. PMID 11124915. Archived from the original on 2015-02-05.
  4. "بی‌بی", Wiktionary, the free dictionary, 2023-08-31, retrieved 2023-11-13
  5. Pant, Poonam (2001). Role of Women in Medieval Indian Politics, 1236–1627. Tarun Prakashan. p. 123. Retrieved 31 October 2018. Bibi Ambha, a Hindu beauty who enamoured Bahlol Lodi displayed a Machiavellian diplomacy.