Boche

or boche

[ bosh, bawsh ]

noun,plural Boche, Boches [bosh, bawsh]. /bɒʃ, bɔʃ/.
  1. Older Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a German, especially a German soldier in World War I or II.

Origin of Boche

1
First recorded in 1885–90; from French; of uncertain origin; possibly a shortening of Alboche, Alleboche “German,” equivalent to al(emand) “German” + (ca)boche “cabbage, blockhead, head of a nail”

usage note For Boche

This term was originally French slang, perhaps from the Franco-Prussian War. In English, it appears today only in historical contexts.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Boche in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Boche

Boche

/ (bɒʃ) /


nounderogatory, slang (esp in World Wars I and II)
  1. a German, esp a German soldier

  2. the Boche (usually functioning as plural) Germans collectively, esp German soldiers regarded as the enemy

Origin of Boche

1
C20: from French, probably shortened from alboche German, from allemand German + caboche pate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012