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Added 9 October 2026

boisterous

/ˈbɔɪstəɹəs/ adjective

In Latin: bacchabundus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about boisterous at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline.
a boisterous crowd
Full of rough and exuberant animal spirits.
boisterous practical jokes
Violently agitated and turbulent.
boisterous winds and waves

Origin

From Middle English boistres, an alteration of Middle English boistous (“crude, unrefined”), of uncertain origin. Likely from Anglo-Norman boystous, bustous (“rough, in a crude state, disabled, paralysed, unable to walk, lame”), Old French boitous (“limping; having a rough, uneven surface”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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