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boy - What does it mean?

Definition of 'boy'

English

Alternative forms

* boi (Jamaican English)

Noun

(en-noun)
  • Male servant.
  • # (now|rare) A male servant, in general senses.
  • # (historical|now|offensive) A non-white male servant, as used especially by whites in a colonial settlement etc.
  • 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.
  • # (now|offensive) A non-white male.
  • (obsolete) A lower-class or disreputable man; a worthless person.
  • * 1608 , (William Shakespeare), (King Lear) , Act I Scene 4:
    • Dost thou call me fool, boy ?
  • A young male human; a male child or young adult.
  • * {{quote-magazine|date=2013-07-19|author= Ian Sample
    • |volume=189|issue=6|page=34|magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) |title= Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains |passage=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.}}
  • A son.
  • * (Walter Scott)
    • My only boy fell by the side of great Dundee.
  • A man of any age, used as a friendly diminutive, or of a man who is merely younger than the speaker.
  • * 1977 , (Bert Newton), to (Mohammed Ali) at the 1977 Logie Awards:[http://www.abc.net.au/thingo/txt/s1088100.htm]
    • I like the boy .
  • (colloquial) A male friend or fellow of some group, community etc. (mainly used in the plural).
  • (US|slang) Heroin.

    • Synonyms

    * brat * knave * lad * squirt * youngster * youth * See also

    See also

    * (African-American) uncle

    Antonyms

    * (young male) girl

    Derived terms

    * altar boy * attaboy * bad boy * bagboy * ball boy, ballboy * bat boy * b-boy * bell boy, bellboy * best boy * big boys * blue-eyed boy * boi * boy band * boy-bishop * boy crazy * boyfriend * boy genius * boyhood * boy howdy * boyish * boyism * boykin (diminutive) * boy oh boy * boy racer * boys and their toys * boy scout (rel-mid3) * boytjie * boy toy * boys will be boys * boy wonder * bully boy * bum boy * cabin boy * city boy * college boy * copy boy * cowboy * delivery boy * doughboy * farm boy * frat boy * golden boy * homeboy * house boy * lawnboy * little boy * lowboy * mama’s boy]], [[mummy's boy|mummy’s boy * my boy * nancy boy * newsboy * office boy (rel-mid3) * oh boy * old boy * our boy * page boy, pageboy * paper boy, paperboy * pizza boy, pizzaboy * pool boy * poor boy, po’ boy * poster boy * potboy * pretty boy * rent boy * sailor boy * sea boy * shop boy * sonny boy * stableboy * tallboy * Teddy boy * tomboy * traffic boy * water boy * whipping boy * whiteboy, white boy * wide boy * wolf boy * yellow boy, yellow-boy (rel-bottom)

    Descendants

    * Irish English: boyo * Vietnamese:

    Interjection

    (en-interj)
  • Exclamation of surprise, pleasure or longing.

    • Related terms

    * oh boy

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • to use the word boy to refer to someone
  • to act as a boy (qualifier, in allusion to the former practice of boys acting women's parts on the stage)
  • * Shakespeare
    • I shall see some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness.

    See also

    * girl, man (antonyms in some senses) * *

    References

    *

    Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * * 1000 English basic words ----

    Similar to 'boy'

    buy, by, bay, bey, buoy, bhoy, bouy, bwoy, beey