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boy

noun
/bɔɪ/US/bɔːə/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō- Proto-West Germanic *bōjō Old English *bōia Middle English boye English boy From Middle English boy /boye (“servant, commoner, knave, boy”), from Old English *bōia (“boy”), from Proto-West Germanic *bōjō, from Proto-Germanic *bōjô (“younger brother, young male relation”), from Proto-Germanic *bō- (“brother, close male relation”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰā-, *bʰāt- (“father, elder brother, brother”). Cognate with Scots boy (“boy”), West Frisian boai (“boy”), Dutch boi (“boy”), Low German Boi (“boy”), and probably to the Old English proper name Bōia. Also related to West Flemish boe (“brother”), Norwegian dialectal boa (“brother”), Dutch boef (“rogue, knave”), Bavarian Bua (“young boy, lad”), German Bube ("boy; knave; jack"; > English bub), Icelandic bófi (“rogue, crook, bandit, knave”), Lombard bagaj. See also bully.

  1. derived from *bʰā-✻
  2. derived from *bō-✻ — “brother, close male relation”
  3. inherited from *bōjô✻ — “younger brother, young male relation”
  4. inherited from *bōjō✻
  5. inherited from *bōia✻ — “boy”
  6. inherited from boy//boye — “servant, commoner, knave, boy”

Definitions

  1. A male child.

    • Kieran plays football with other boys in his school.
    • The ſtretes of the cite alſo ſhalbe full of yonge boyes and damſelles, playnge vpon the ſtretes.
    • I find I was mistaken in the sex, it is a boy.

  2. A young man.

    • Kate is dating a boy named Jim.

  3. A son of any age.

    • Low as that tide has ebbed with me, / It still reflects to memory’s eye / The hour, my brave, my only boy, / Fell by the side of great Dundee.
  4. ›+ 16 more definitions

    1. A male human younger than the speaker.

    2. A male human of any age, as opposed to a "girl" (female human of any age).

      • boys' club

    3. A male of low station, (especially as pejorative) a worthless male, a wretch

      A male of low station, (especially as pejorative) a worthless male, a wretch; a mean and dishonest male, a knave.

      • Do’ſt thou call mee foole boy?

    4. A male servant, slave, assistant, or employee, particularly

      • He allowed his ‘boy’ - an overfed young negro from the coast - to treat the white men, under his very eyes, with provoking insolence.
      • “Why does he go out and pinch all his dogs in person? He’s an administrator, isn’t he? Wouldn’t he hire a boy or something?” “We call them ‘staff,’” Roger replies, […]

    5. A male servant, slave, assistant, or employee

      • I resolved to continue in the Cave, with my two Servants, my Maid, and a Boy, whom I had brought from France.

    6. Any non-white male, regardless of age.

      • A Hottentot... expects to be called by his name if addressed by any one who knows it; and by those to whom it is not known he expects to be called Hottentot... or boy.
      • Every darky, however old, is a boy.
      • [In Alabama,] Guards still use the term ‘boy’ to refer to Black prisoners.

    7. A male friend.

      • hanging with my boys
      • The next thing I remember, I am walking down the street / I'm feeling all right, I'm with my boys, I'm with my troops, yeah.

    8. A male submissive.

    9. A male non-human animal, especially, in affectionate address, a male pet, especially a…

      A male non-human animal, especially, in affectionate address, a male pet, especially a dog.

      • C'mere, boy! Good boy! Who's a good boy?
      • Are you getting a boy cat or a girl cat?

    10. A former low rank of various armed services

      A former low rank of various armed services; a holder of this rank.

      • Wounded... 1 Boy, 1st class, severely.
      • He joined the Navy as a boy second class in 1898.

    11. Heroin.

      • […] drove by a corner, saw what I thought—no, what I knew—were dealers and asked if they knew where I could get some boy.

    12. A male (tree, gene, etc).

      • Of the 100 percent total, 25 will have two girl genes, 50 will have one boy and one girl gene, and 25 will have two boy genes.

    13. Any tangible object close to one's person

      Any tangible object close to one's person; often used in emphatic forms such as bad boy.

      • This boy can really kick!

    14. Exclamation of surprise, pleasure or longing.

      • Boy, that was close!
      • Boy, that tastes good!
      • Boy, I wish I could go to Canada!

    15. To act as a boy (in allusion to the former practice of boys acting women's parts on the…

      To act as a boy (in allusion to the former practice of boys acting women's parts on the stage).

      • I shall see some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness.

    16. Initialism of beginning of year.

      • Coordinate term: EOY

The neighborhood

Derived

aceboy, all-boys, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, alphabet boy, altar boy, antiboy, area boy, attaboy, atta boy, baby boy, backroom boy, bad-boy, bad boy, bag boy, bagboy, ball boy, banjee boy, barboy, Barnardo's boy, barra boy, barrow-boy, barrow boy, Barry boy, bat boy, batboy, batty boy, B-boy, beachboy, bellboy, bell boy, bendy-boy, best boy, big boy, big-boy pants, big boy pants, big boys, bimboy, bioboy, birl, birthday boy · +442 more

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for boy. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA