Added 1 October 2026
boy
/bɔɪ/ symbol
In Latin: puer Wiktionary
symbol Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about boy at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
noun
interjection
-
Exclamation of surprise, pleasure or longing.
Boy, that was close!
verb
- To act as a boy .
Origin
From Middle English boy /boye (“servant, commoner, knave, boy”), from Old English *bōia (“boy”), from Proto-West Germanic *bōjō, 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”), West Frisian boai (“boy”), Dutch boi (“boy”), Low German Boi (“boy”), and probably to the Old English proper name Bōia.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)