boy

Etymology


From, from , from , from , from , from ,.

Cognate with 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬, and probably to the 🇨🇬 proper name. Also related to 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬 dialectal, 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬 "boy; knave; jack"; > English, 🇨🇬. See also.

Noun

 * 1) A young male human.
 * 2) * 1535, Bible (Coverdale), Zechariah, Chapter VIII, Verse 5:
 * The stretes of the citie shalbe full of yonge boyes and damselles...
 * 1) * 1711 March 7, Jonathan Swift, Journal, line 208:
 * I find I was mistaken in the sex, 'tis a boy.
 * 1)  A male child or adolescent, as distinguished from an infant or adult.
 * 2) * 1876, Frances Eliza Millett Notley, The Kiddle-a-Wink, "A Tale of Love", page 169:
 * "He is not quite a baby, Alfred," said Ellen, "though he is only a big stupid boy. We have made him miserable enough. Let us leave him alone."
 * 1)  A son of any age.
 * 2)  A male human younger than the speaker.
 * 3)  A male human of any age, as opposed to a "girl" (female human of any age).
 * 4)  A male of low station, (especially as pejorative) a worthless male, a wretch; a mean and dishonest male, a knave.
 * 5)  A male servant, slave, assistant, or employee,  particularly:
 * 6) A younger such worker.
 * 7)  A non-white male servant regardless of age,  particularly as a form of address.
 * 8) * 1625, W. Hawkins in Samuel Purchas, Hakluytus Posthumus or Purchas his Pilgrimes, Vol. I, iii, vii, 211:
 * My Boy Stephen Grauener.
 * 1)  A male camp follower.
 * 2)  Any non-white male, regardless of age.
 * 3) * 1812, Anne Plumptre translating Hinrich Lichtenstein, Travels in Southern Africa, in the Years 1803, 1804, 1805, and 1806, Vol. I, i, viii, 119:
 * 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.
 * 1)  A male friend.
 * 2)  A male submissive.
 * 3) 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?
 * 1)  A former low rank of various armed services; a holder of this rank.
 * 2)  Heroin.
 * 3)  A male (tree, gene, etc).
 * 4) * 1970 [earlier 1963], Helen V. Wilson, Helen Van Pelt, Helen Van Pelt's African Violets, Dutton Adult (ISBN 9780801538582):
 * 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.
 * 1)  A male camp follower.
 * 2)  Any non-white male, regardless of age.
 * 3) * 1812, Anne Plumptre translating Hinrich Lichtenstein, Travels in Southern Africa, in the Years 1803, 1804, 1805, and 1806, Vol. I, i, viii, 119:
 * 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.
 * 1)  A male friend.
 * 2)  A male submissive.
 * 3) 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?
 * 1)  A former low rank of various armed services; a holder of this rank.
 * 2)  Heroin.
 * 3)  A male (tree, gene, etc).
 * 4) * 1970 [earlier 1963], Helen V. Wilson, Helen Van Pelt, Helen Van Pelt's African Violets, Dutton Adult (ISBN 9780801538582):
 * 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.
 * 1) 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?
 * 1)  A former low rank of various armed services; a holder of this rank.
 * 2)  Heroin.
 * 3)  A male (tree, gene, etc).
 * 4) * 1970 [earlier 1963], Helen V. Wilson, Helen Van Pelt, Helen Van Pelt's African Violets, Dutton Adult (ISBN 9780801538582):
 * 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.
 * 1)  A male (tree, gene, etc).
 * 2) * 1970 [earlier 1963], Helen V. Wilson, Helen Van Pelt, Helen Van Pelt's African Violets, Dutton Adult (ISBN 9780801538582):
 * 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.
 * 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.

Synonyms

 * See Thesaurus:boy
 * See son
 * See Thesaurus:heroin
 * See Thesaurus:heroin
 * See Thesaurus:heroin
 * See Thesaurus:heroin

Antonyms

 * See Thesaurus:girl

Translations

 * Basque:
 * Belarusian:
 * Breton: ,
 * Catalan:
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:
 * Czech:
 * Danish:
 * Dutch: ,
 * French:
 * Georgian:
 * German:
 * Greek:
 * Guaraní:
 * Hungarian:
 * Icelandic:
 * Indonesian:, ,
 * Interlingua: ,
 * Italian:
 * Japanese:, ,
 * Norwegian:, ,
 * Portuguese:
 * Romanian:
 * Romanian:
 * Russian:
 * Scots: ,
 * Sicilian:
 * Slovak:
 * Telugu:
 * Telugu:
 * Tupinambá: ,
 * Welsh:

Translations

 * Arabic: ياه
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: 哇!
 * Danish: !
 * Dutch:, tsjongejonge, ,
 * Finnish:
 * German: Junge, Junge!
 * Portuguese:
 * Russian:
 * Slovak:, chlapče
 * Swahili:
 * Swedish:
 * Tok Pisin: olaboi

Verb

 * 1)  To act as a boy.

Etymology
From.

Noun

 * 1) height, stature

Etymology
From.

Noun

 * 1) houseboy, errand boy

Etymology
From.

Noun

 * 1)  office boy
 * 1)  office boy

Etymology
Borrowed from. Cognate with 🇨🇬, whence 🇨🇬.

Noun

 * 1)  a male domestic servant, especially one with a darker skin in a colony
 * , young man
 * , young man

Etymology
.

Noun

 * 1)   (non-white male servant)

Etymology
Borrowed from.

Noun

 * 1) A young male servant, low-position assistant.
 * 2) bellboy (in a hotel)
 * 3) office boy, errand boy, deliveryman
 * 4)  A male ballet dancer.
 * 1)  A male ballet dancer.
 * 1)  A male ballet dancer.

Etymology
. In the sense "bellboy", a clipping of ; in other meanings, a transferred sense of.

Noun

 * 1) a male ballet dancer
 * 2) bellboy (in a hotel)

Etymology
From.

Noun

 * 1) size
 * 2) age

Etymology
.

Noun

 * 1) bellboy, office boy

Etymology 1
, from.

Noun

 * 1) office boy
 * 2)  a young, upper-class male

Etymology
From.

Noun

 * 1) spider

Etymology
.

Noun

 * 1) a male stripper

Etymology
.

Noun

 * 1) errand boy; houseboy;  doing a menial job
 * 1) errand boy; houseboy;  doing a menial job

Etymology 1
From. See dialectal.

Noun

 * 1) stature
 * 2) size
 * 1) size

Noun

 * 1) tribe, clan

Etymology 3
From.

Noun

 * 1)   fenugreek