با

Inherited from Proto-Dravidian *wāy (“mouth, beak”); compare Tamil வாய் (vāy), Kurukh बई (baī).

با (bā)

1. mouth, aperture

• Burrow, T.; Emeneau, M. B. (1984), “5352”, in A Dravidian etymological dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, →ISBN.
• Bray, Denys (1934), “bā”, in The Brahui Language‎^[1], Calcutta, India: Superintendent Government Printing, Part II: The Brāhūī Problem; Part III: Etymological Vocabulary, page 59

• وا (wa) — Ardalani

From Proto-Iranian *HwáHatah (“wind”) (compare Avestan 𐬬𐬁𐬙𐬋 (vātō), Pashto and Persian باد (bâd)), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *HwáHatas (“wind”) (compare Sanskrit वात (vā́ta)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wéh₁n̥ts (“blowing”), present participle of *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”).

• IPA^(key): /baː/

با (ba)

1. wind

From earlier ابا (abā / abâ), inherited from Middle Persian [script needed] (LWTE /⁠abāg⁠/, “with”), Manichaean Middle Persian [script needed] (ʾbʾg /⁠abāg⁠/).^[1]

با • (bā / bâ) (normal in Iran, formal in Dari/Tajik)

1. with (someone)

   همیشه باهام میمونی؟ (colloquial Tehrani)

   hamiše bâ-hâm mi-muni?

   Will you always stay with me?

2. with, by, using

   نقاشی با دست چپ

   naqqāšī bā dast-i čap / naġġâši bâ dast-e čap

   drawing with left hand

3. (uncommon on its own) despite
   • c. 1320, Amīr Khusraw Dihlavī, “Ghazal 822”, in دیوانِ امیرخسرو دهلوی [Divan of Amīr Khusraw]‎^[2]:

     باطل بود شنیدن دعوی عشق از آن کس
     کش با جمال جانان پهلو به بستر آید

     bātil buwad šunīdan-i da'wā-yi išq az ān kas
     k-aš bā jamāl-i jānān pahlū ba bastar āyad

     It is false to hear protestations of love from someone
     Who can fall asleep on bed despite the beloved's beauty.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

• In Afghanistan and Tajikistan (not in Iran), it has a somewhat formal connotation and is less common in informal speech compared to کتی.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

با • (bā)

1. pronunciation spelling of بها, representing Kabuli and Hazaragi Persian