boy

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Synonyms 1.3.2 Derived terms 1.3.3 Descendants 1.3.4 Translations 1.4 Interjection 1.4.1 Translations 1.5 See also 1.6 References 2 Dutch 2.1 Noun 2.2 See also 3 Italian 3.1 Noun 4 Sranan Tongo 4.1 Etymology 4.2 Noun 5 Turkish 5.1 Noun

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

Wikipedia

Middle English boy, boye, perh. after Old English Bōia man's name; c. West Frisian boi "young man"; akin to Old English bōfa, Old Norse bōfi, Old High German Buobo man's name (German Bube "knave, (dial.) boy, lad"), Dutch boef "knave" (from Middle Dutch boeve, perhaps from Middle Low German buobe), with comparisons in Middle Dutch boye (“‘servant’”).

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɔɪ/, SAMPA: /bOI/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

  Rhymes: -ɔɪ

[edit] Noun

boy (plural boys)

1. (now rare) A male servant.

   When the 'dipenda' (independence movement) in Belgian Congo turned violent, the white colonisators' often materially privileged black domestic boys were mistrusted and often abused as collaborators.

2. (US, offensive, pejorative, historical) A non-white slave or labourer; a male African-American of any age.
3. (obsolete, pejorative) A lower-class or disreputable man; a worthless person.
   • 1608, William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act I Scene 4:

     Dost thou call me fool, boy?

4. A young male, usually a child or adolescent.

   The boys were playing kickball in the mud.

   Steve is a boy of 16.

5. A man of any age, used as a friendly diminutive, or of a man who is merely younger than the speaker.

   Whatever else you say about him, the boy can play.

   1977: I like the boy. — Australian entertainer Bert Newton, to Mohammed Ali at the 1977 Logie Awards, famously unaware of how insulting this is under the US usage below [1]

6. An adult male, particularly when used by straight women or gay men to refer to someone considered attractive.
7. (informal) Male (usually adult) friend; mainly used in the plural: boys.

   I’m going out for a few drinks with the boys.

   Me and my boy grew up together in Southside.

8. (endearing) A proud parent's son, regardless of age.

   That's my boy.

9. (endearing) A caring owner's pet or working animal, regardless of age.

   Here, boys, heel; yes, Bobby, show the puppies how, good boy!

[edit] Synonyms

• brat
• knave
• lad
• squirt
• youngster
• youth
• See also Wikisaurus:boy

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Descendants

• Irish: boyo

[edit] Translations

[edit] Interjection

boy

1. Exclamation of surprise, pleasure or longing.

   "Boy, that was close!"

   "Boy, that tastes good!"

   "Boy, I wish I could go to Canada!"

[edit] Translations

[edit] See also

• girl, man (antonyms in some senses)
• Appendix:Collective nouns

[edit] References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

---

[edit] Dutch

[edit] Noun

boy m. (plural boys, diminutive boytje, diminutive plural boytjes)

1. A male domestic servant, especially colored in a colony.

[edit] See also

• baboe

---

[edit] Italian

[edit] Noun

boy m. (inv)

1. A male ballet dancer.
2. A bellboy (in a hotel).

---

[edit] Sranan Tongo

[edit] Etymology

From English boy.

[edit] Noun

boy

1. A boy

---

[edit] Turkish

[edit] Noun

boy

1. size
2. stature