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)

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Examples (50)

  • As the Marine patrol approached a cane field near the village, one of the Marines caught a tripwire with his boot and a VC booby-trap exploded, throwing shrapnel in a deadly arc that cut down seven of the patrol. —  Brown Waters, Black Berets
  • His method also had the added benefit of keeping him from opening potentially booby-trapped objects, an important priority in his estimation. —  Brown Waters, Black Berets
  • While enemy contact was light, the sweeps uncovered numerous booby-trapped bunkers in the area. —  Brown Waters, Black Berets
  • The ideal location would have been further up the hill, in that clus­ter of rocks, but that would also have been the first spot any security expert would booby-trap. —  ARTEMIS FOWL is a child prodigy from Ireland who has dedicated his brilliant mind to criminal activities
  • It was the logical thing to do, so I booby-trapped the vehicle. —  ARTEMIS FOWL is a child prodigy from Ireland who has dedicated his brilliant mind to criminal activities
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This word has been looked up 104 times.

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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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