boy

Etymology

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. Also related to West Flemish boe (“brother”), Norwegian dialectal boa (“brother”), Dutch boef (“rogue, knave”), Bavarian Bua (“young boy, lad”), German Bube ("boy; knave; jack"; > English bub), Icelandic bófi (“rogue, crook, bandit, knave”). See also bully.

noun

1. A young male human.
   Kate is dating a boy named Jim.
   Bye or boye: Bostio. 1440, Promptorium Parvulorum, section 35
   The stretes of the citie shalbe full of yonge boyes and damselles... 1535, Bible (Coverdale), Zechariah, Chapter VIII, Verse 5
   I find I was mistaken in the sex, 'tis a boy. 1711 March 7, Jonathan Swift, Journal, line 208
   Ah! happy years! once more who would not be a boy? 1812, Lord Byron, Childe Harold, Canto II, xxiii, 72
   1. (particularly) A male child or adolescent, as distinguished from infants or adults.
      "He is not quite a baby, Alfred," said Ellen, "though he is only a big stupid boy. We have made him miserable enough. Let us leave him alone." 1876, Frances Eliza Millett Notley, The Kiddle-a-Wink, "A Tale of Love", page 169
2. (diminutive) A son of any age.
3. (endearing, diminutive) A male human younger than the speaker.
4. (obsolete) A male of low station, (especially as pejorative) a worthless male, a wretch; a mean and dishonest male, a knave.
5. (now rare and usually offensive outside some Commonwealth nations) A male servant, slave, assistant, or employee
   1. A younger such worker.
      I resolved to continue in the Cave, with my two Servants, my Maid, and a Boy, whom I had brought from France. 1721, Penelope Aubin, The Life of Madam de Beaumount, ii, 36
   2. (historical or offensive) A non-white male servant regardless of age, particularly as a form of address.
      My Boy Stephen Grauener. 1625, W. Hawkins in Samuel Purchas, Hakluytus Posthumus or Purchas his Pilgrimes, Vol. I, iii, vii, 211
      They picked out two of the strongest of the Boys (as they call the Men) about the place. 1834, Edward Markham, New Zealand or Recollections of It, section 72
      The blacks who work on a station or farm are always, like the blacks in the Southern States, called boys. 1876, Ebenezer Thorne, The Queen of the Colonies, or, Queensland as I Knew It, section 58
      From a domestic point of view the advent of the Chinese was a decided blessing, for, instead of the European ladies of the settlement having to do all their own work, they were able to employ a proper staff of Chinese boys. 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 233
      [In Shanghai,] The register clerk assigns you to a room, and instead of ‘Front!’ he shouts ‘Boy!’ May 13 1907, Evening Post, N.Y, section 6
      He thrust his head into the aisle. "Boy!" A Chinese in a white coat responded listlessly. "What will you have? Beer?" 1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 521
      Aborigine Wally... described himself as ‘number one boy’ at the station. February 5 1960, Northern Territory News, 5/5
   3. (obsolete) A male camp follower.
      If any water be rough and boysterous, or the chanell verye broade, it manye times drowneth the carriages and the boyes and nowe and then slouthfull and lyther souldiours. 1572, Flavius Vegetius Renatus, translated by John Sadler, Foure Bookes... Contayninge a Plaine Forme, and Perfect Knowledge of Martiall Policye..., iii, vii
6. (now offensive) Any non-white male, regardless of age.
   A Hottentot... expects to be called by his name if addressed by any one who knows it; and by those to whom it is not known he expects to be called Hottentot... or boy. 1812, Anne Plumptre translating Hinrich Lichtenstein, Travels in Southern Africa, in the Years 1803, 1804, 1805, and 1806, Vol. I, i, viii, 119
   Every darky, however old, is a boy. 1888, Louis Diston Powles, Land of Pink Pearl, or Recollections of Life in the Bahamas, section 66
   [In Alabama,] Guards still use the term ‘boy’ to refer to Black prisoners. September 8 1973, Black Panther, 7/2
   BN: [repeating a catchphrase] I like the boy. MA: [to hostile audience] Hold it, hold it, hold it. Easy. Did you say ‘Roy’ or ‘boy’? BN: ‘I like the boy’. There's nothing wrong with saying that... Hang on, hang on, hang on... I'll change religion, I'll do anything for ya, I don't bloody care... What's wrong with saying that? ‘I like the boy’? MA: Boy... BN: I mean, I like the man. I'm sorry, Muhammad. 1979, Bert Newton, Mohammed Ali, The Logie Awards
7. A male non-human animal, especially, in affectionate address, a male dog.
   C'mere, boy! Good boy! Who's a good boy?
   Are you getting a boy cat or a girl cat?
8. (historical, military) A former low rank of various armed services; a holder of this rank.
   Wounded... 1 Boy, 1st class, severely. May 6 1841, Times, London, 5/4
   He joined the Navy as a boy second class in 1898. April 30 1963, Times, London, 16/2
9. (US, slang, uncountable) Heroin.
   […] drove by a corner, saw what I thought—no, what I knew—were dealers and asked if they knew where I could get some boy. 2021, Tim Weber, Heroin: the Ripple Effect
10. (somewhat childish) A male (tree, gene, etc).
    Are there “boy” trees and “girl” trees? Yes. A number of species, among them the yew, holly and date-bearing palm, have their male and female flowers on different trees. The male holly, for instance, must be planted fairly close to the female ... 1950, Pageant
    Of the 100 percent total, 25 will have two girl genes, 50 will have one boy and one girl gene, and 25 will have two boy genes. 1970 [earlier 1963], Helen V. Wilson, Helen Van Pelt, Helen Van Pelt's African Violets, Dutton Adult

intj

1. Exclamation of surprise, pleasure or longing.
   Boy, that was close!
   Boy, that tastes good!
   Boy, I wish I could go to Canada!
   Time is running out, so I renounce a spin on a Class 387 for a fast run to Paddington on another Class 800 - a shame as the weather was perfect for pictures. Even so, it's enjoyable - boy, can those trains shift under the wires. December 2 2020, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68

verb

1. (transitive) To act as a boy (in allusion to the former practice of boys acting women's parts on the stage).