Boy

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɔɪ/
• IPA: /bɔːə/
• Rhymes: -ɔɪ

Alternative forms

• boi (Jamaican English)

Origin

From Middle English boy, boye ("servant, commoner, knave, boy"), from Old English *bōia ("boy"), 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"), Eastern Frisian boi ("boy, young gentleman"), West Frisian boai ("boy"), Middle Dutch boi, booi ("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"), German dialectal Bube ("boy, lad, knave"), Icelandic bófi ("rogue, crook, bandit, knave"). See also bully.

Full definition of boy

Noun

1. (now uncommon and/or offensive) Male servant.
1. (now rare) A male servant, in general senses. from 14th c.
2. (historical, now offensive) A non-white male servant, as used especially by whites in a colonial settlement etc. from 17th c.
• When the 'dipenda' (independence movement) in Belgian Congo turned violent, the white colonisers' often materially privileged black domestic boys were mistrusted and often abused as collaborators.
3. (now offensive) A non-white male. from 19th c.
4. (obsolete) A lower-class or disreputable man; a worthless person. 14th-17th c.
• 1608, William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act I Scene 4:Dost thou call me fool, boy?
5. A young male human; a male child or young adult. from 15th c.
• 2013-07-19, Ian Sample, Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains, Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits.  ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.
6. the boys were playing kickball in the mud;  Steve is a boy of 16
7. A son.
• Walter ScottMy only boy fell by the side of great Dundee.
8. A man of any age, used as a friendly diminutive, or of a man who is merely younger than the speaker. from 17th c.
• 1977, Bert Newton, to Mohammed Ali at the 1977 Logie Awards:^{http://www.abc.net.au/thingo/txt/s1088100.htm}I like the boy.''
9. (colloquial) A male friend or fellow of some group, community etc. (mainly used in the plural). from 19th c.
   I’m going out for a few drinks with the boys;  me and my boy grew up together in Southside
10. A familiar way of addressing a male dog. from 19th c.
    Here, boys, heel; yes, Bobby, show the puppies how, good boy!
11. (US, slang) Heroin. from 20th c.

Synonyms

• brat
• knave
• lad
• squirt
• youngster
• youth

Antonyms

• (young male) girl

Derived terms

Descendants

• Irish English: boyo
• Vietnamese: bồi

Interjection

1. Exclamation of surprise, pleasure or longing.
   Boy, that was close!
   Boy, that tastes good!
   Boy, I wish I could go to Canada!

Related terms

• oh boy

Verb

1. to use the word boy to refer to someone
   Don't boy me!
2. (transitive) to act as a boy in allusion to the former practice of boys acting women's parts on the stage
• ShakespeareI shall see some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness.

Anagrams

• byo, BYO
• yob