booby

- 4 dictionary results

boo⋅by

1 [boo-bee]

–noun, plural -bies.

1.	a stupid person; dunce.

2.	a gannet of the genus Sula, having a bright bill, bright feet, or both: some are endangered.

Origin:
1590–1600; earlier pooby, appar. b. poop to befool (now obs.) and baby; (def. 2) perh. by association with Sp bobo < L balbus stuttering

Related forms:

boo⋅by⋅ish, adjective

2 [boo-bee]

–noun, plural boob⋅ies. Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.

a female breast.

Origin:
1930–35, Americanism; prob. var. of earlier bubby

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

boo·by¹ (bōō'bē)

n. pl. boo·bies

A person regarded as stupid.
Any of several tropical sea birds of the genus Sula, resembling and related to the gannets.

[Probably Spanish bobo, from Latin balbus, stammering.]

boo·by² (bōō'bē)

n. pl. boo·bies Vulgar Slang
A woman's breast.

[Perhaps alteration of obsolete English bubby.]

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