boy
[ boi ]
/ bɔɪ /
noun
interjection Also oh, boy.
an exclamation of wonder, approval, etc., or of displeasure or contempt.
Origin of boy
1250–1300; Middle English
boy(e), perhaps after Old English
Bōia man's name; cognate with 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)
usage note for boy
During the slavery and Jim Crow eras, white southerners would use the term
boy to refer to or address a black adult male, implying that black people were inferior. In the meaning “native male servant,”
boy was originally used in colonial territories and in the ports of China, Japan, etc., through which trade with foreign countries was permitted by special treaty.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH boy
boy buoyWords nearby boy
boxing ring,
boxroom,
boxthorn,
boxwood,
boxy,
boy,
boy band,
boy racer,
boy scout,
boy scouts of america,
boy toy
Example sentences from the Web for boy
British Dictionary definitions for boy
boy
/ (bɔɪ) /
noun
interjection
an exclamation of surprise, pleasure, contempt, etc
boy, is he going to be sorry!
Word Origin for boy
C13 (in the sense: male servant; C14: young male): of uncertain origin; perhaps from Anglo-French
abuié fettered (unattested), from Latin
boia fetter
Idioms and Phrases with boy
boy