booby

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“
There were many land-birds, and they took one that was flying to the S.W. Terns,[107-3] ducks, and a booby were also seen Tuesday, 9th of October The course was S.W., and they made 5 leagues.

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Definitions (14)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun A person regarded as stupid.
  2. noun Any of several tropical sea birds of the genus Sula, resembling and related to the gannets.
  3. noun Vulgar Slang A woman's breast.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (6)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Examples

  • Alert for any surprises, such as booby-trapped internal organs, plainclothes police surrounded the shattered remnants of the insectoid terrorist. —  Diuturnity's Dawn
  • There were many land-birds, and they took one that was flying to the S.W. Terns,[107-3] ducks, and a booby were also seen Tuesday, 9th of October The course was S.W., and they made 5 leagues. —  The Northmen, Columbus and Cabot, 985-1503
  • said Hochon to Madame Bridau; "the booby is the dupe of a scene which they have been keeping back for the last day of his visit. —  The Two Brothers
  • There were many land-birds, and they took one that was flying to the S.W. Terns, [107-3] ducks, and a booby were also seen. —  The Northmen, Columbus and Cabot, 985-1503
  • He stared like a booby, and she winked at him. —  The Chrome Borne
 

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Booby has been looked up 228 times, favorited 0 times, listed 16 times, and commented on twice.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. Probably Spanish bobo, from Latin balbus, stammering.
  2. Perhaps alteration of obsolete English bubby.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Formerly also boobie, boobee (the English word as applied to the bird is the source of French boubie, the bird called booby); prob. from Spanish bobo, a fool, dunce, dolt, buffoon, also a bird so called from its apparent stupidity; = Portuguese bobo, a buffoon, = Old French baube, a stammerer, from Latin balbus, stammering, lisping, inarticulate, akin to Greek βάρβαρος, orig. inarticulate: see balbuties and barbarous.
 

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/ˈbubi/
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