Etymology dictionary

blowzy (adj.) — bobby sox (n.)

blowzy (adj.)

"disheveled, unkempt," 1778, from obsolete blouze "wench, beggar's trull" (1570s, of uncertain origin; perhaps originally a cant term) + -y (2).

BLT (n.)

also B.L.T., type of sandwich, initialism for bacon, lettuce, and tomato, the ingredients; 1940s, American English.

blub (n.)

"fit of weeping," 1894, imitative, or from blubber (v.). As a verb by 1843. Related: Blubbed; blubbing.

late 14c., blober "a bubble, bubbling water; foaming waves," probably echoic of bubbling water. The original notion of "bubbling, foaming" survives in the figurative verbal meaning "to weep, cry" (c. 1400). The meaning "whale fat" is attested from 1660s; earlier it was used in reference to jellyfish (c. 1600) and of whale oil (mid-15c.). Compare bubble.

blubbering (adj.)

c. 1400, "bubbling, gurgling," present-participle adjective from blubber (v.). Originally of fountains, springs, etc. Of weeping from 1580s.

blubber (v.)

"to cry, to overflow with weeping" (usually disparaging), c. 1400, from blubber (n.). In Middle English also "to seethe, bubble" (late 14c.). Related: Blubbered; blubbering.

blubbering (n.)

"act of weeping noisily," 1570s, verbal noun from blubber (v.).

blubbery (adj.)

"resembling cetacean fat," 1791, from blubber (n.) "whale fat" + -y (2).

blubber-lip (n.)

"a thick lip," 1660s, from blubber (n.) + lip (n.). Related: Blubber-lipped.

bluchers (n.)

old type of strong, leather half-boots, by 1837, from Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht Blücher (1742-1819), in the later campaigns against Napoleon commander of the Prussian army, who is said to have taken an interest in the footwear of his soldiery. Prince Blucher demi boots were described in 1815 as "military (or half-boots), of royal purple, or dark blue morocco or kid leather, also of purple satin; a small scarlet star, embroidered on the instep, and scarlet bound; red leather buttons (covered red); thin narrow soles, made right and left; broad duck-web toes." Compare Wellington.

bludge (v.)

"shirk work or responsibility," 1919, Australian and New Zealand slang, earlier "be a prostitute's pimp" hence "a loafer," from bludger "pimp."

bludgeon (v.)

1802, "to hit with a bludgeon (n.)," which is of unknown origin. Related: Bludgeoned; bludgeoning.

bludgeon (n.)

"short club, heavy stick with one end thicker than the other," 1730, of unknown origin.

bludger (n.)

"prostitute's pimp," 1856, short for bludgeoner, agent noun from bludgeon (v.). Hence, also, in Australia and New Zealand slang, "loafer" (by 1939).

blue (adj.1)

"of the color of the clear sky," c. 1300, bleu, blwe, etc., "sky-colored," also "livid, lead-colored," from Old French blo, bleu "pale, pallid, wan, light-colored; blond; discolored; blue, blue-gray," from Frankish *blao or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *blæwaz (source also of Old English blaw, Old Saxon and Old High German blao, Danish blaa, Swedish blå, Old Frisian blau, Middle Dutch bla, Dutch blauw, German blau "blue").

This is from PIE *bhle-was "light-colored, blue, blond, yellow," from root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn," also "shining white" and forming words for bright colors. The same PIE root yielded Latin flavus "yellow," Old Spanish blavo "yellowish-gray," Greek phalos "white," Welsh blawr "gray," showing the slipperiness of definition in Indo-European color-words. Many Indo-European languages seem to have had a word to describe the color of the sea, encompassing blue and green and gray; such as Irish glass (from PIE root *ghel- (2) "to shine,"); Old English hæwen "blue, gray," related to har (see hoar); Serbo-Croatian sinji "gray-blue, sea-green;" Lithuanian šyvas, Russian sivyj "gray."

The present spelling in English is since 16c., common from c. 1700. The sense "lead-colored, blackish-blue, darkened as if by bruising" is perhaps by way of the Old Norse cognate bla "livid, lead-colored." It is the meaning in black and blue, and blue in the face "livid with effort" (1864, earlier black and blue in the face, 1829).

The color of constancy since Chaucer at least, but apparently for no deeper reason than the rhyme in true blue (c. 1500). The figurative meaning "sad, sorrowful, afflicted with low spirits" is from c. 1400, perhaps from the "livid" sense and implying a bruised heart or feelings. Of women, "learned, pedantic," by 1788 (see bluestocking). In some phrases, such as blue murder, it appears to be merely intensive.

Blue pencil as an editor's characteristic tool to mark corrections in copy is from 1885; also as a verb from 1885. The fabulous story of Blue-beard, who kept his murdered wives in a locked room, is in English from 1798. For blue ribbon see cordon bleu under cordon. Blue whale is attested from 1851, so called for its color. Blue cheese is from 1862. Blue water "the open ocean" is from 1822. Blue streak, of something resembling a bolt of lightning (for quickness, intensity, etc.) is from 1830, Kentucky slang. Delaware has been the Blue Hen State at least since 1830, supposedly from a nickname of its regiments in the Revolutionary War.

blues (n.1)

"music form featuring flatted thirds and sevenths," possibly c. 1895 (though officially 1912, in W.C. Handy's "Memphis Blues"). Blue note "minor interval where a major would be expected" is attested from 1919, and at first was suspected as a source of the term. Also compare blues (n.2).

blues (n.2)

"depression, low spirits," 1741, from blue (adj.1) in the sense "low-spirited" (c. 1400).

blue (adj.2)

"lewd, indecent" recorded from 1840 (in the form blueness, in an essay of Carlyle's); the sense connection with the color name (see blue (adj.1)) is unclear, and is opposite to that in blue laws (q.v.). John Mactaggart's "Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopedia" (1824), containing odd words he had learned while growing up in Galloway and elsewhere in Scotland, has an entry for Thread o'Blue, "any little smutty touch in song-singing, chatting, or piece of writing." Farmer ["Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present," 1890] offers the theory that this meaning derives from the blue dress uniforms issued to harlots in houses of correction (from c. 1600), but he writes that the earlier slang authority John Camden Hotten "suggests it as coming from the French Bibliothèque Bleu, a series of books of very questionable character," and adds, from Hotten, that, "Books or conversation of an entirely opposite nature are said to be Brown or Quakerish, i.e., serious, grave, decent."

blueing (n.)

"substance which makes (something) blue," 1660s, verbal noun from blue (v.).

blue (v.)

"to make blue," c. 1600, from blue (adj.1).

blue (n.)

"the color of the clear sky," c. 1300, from blue (adj.1). From late 15c. as "blue clothing." The blue is from 1640s as "the sky" (hence bolt from the blue "lightning," 1837); from 1821 as "the sea." In reference to a particular party which has chosen blue for its color, by 1835. "In most parts of England the Conservative party" [OED], but in 17c. it often was the Whig color (opposed to royal red).

Blue was by c. 1600 the distinctive color of the dress of servants, which may be the reason police uniforms are blue, a tradition Farmer dates to Elizabethan times. Blue as the color of police uniforms in U.S. is by 1853, when New York City professionalized its force. They previously had had no regular uniforms, only badges.

bluebell (n.)

also blue-bell, popular name of various plants with flowers blue and more or less bell-shaped, 1570s, from blue (adj.1) + bell (n.).

blueberry (n.)

also blue-berry, in American English, the fruit of several species of Vaccinium, c. 1775, from blue (adj.1) + berry.

bluebird (n.)

also blue-bird, North American warbler-like bird, 1680s, from blue (adj.1) in reference to the chief color of its plumage + bird (n.1). Figurative use in bluebird of happiness is from the 1909 play "l'Oiseau bleu," literally "The Blue Bird," by Belgian dramatist and poet Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949).

blue-blood (adj.)

1809 in reference to the blood that flows in the veins of the old and aristocratic families of Spain, translating Spanish sangre azul, claimed by certain families of Castile that held themselves uncontaminated by Moorish or Jewish admixture; the term probably is from the notion of the visible veins of people of fair complexion. In reference to English families by 1827. As a noun, "member of an old and aristocratic family," by 1877. See blue (adj.1) + blood (n.).

blue-chip (adj.)

1904 in reference to the high-value poker counter, also in the figurative sense of "valuable." The stock exchange sense, in reference to "shares considered a reliable investment," is recorded by 1929; especially of stocks that saw spectacular rises in value in the four years or so before the Wall Street crash of that year wiped out most of it. See blue (adj.1) + chip (n.1).

bluecoat (n.)

1580s, "serving man in the house of an English country gentleman," from blue (adj.1) + coat (n.). By 1865 as "Union soldier in the U.S. Civil War."

blue-collar (adj.)

by 1935, in reference to jobs or workers, from blue (adj.1) + collar (n.). From the common color of men's work shirts. Contrasted with white-collar (q.v.).

blue-eyed (adj.)

"having blue eyes," c. 1600, from blue (adj.1) + -eyed. Meaning "favored; innocent" is by 1924.

bluegrass (n.)

also blue-grass, music style, 1958, in reference to the Blue Grass Boys, country music band 1940s-'50s, from the "blue" grass (Poa pratensis) characteristic of Kentucky. The grass so called from 1751; Kentucky has been the Bluegrass State at least since 1864; see blue (adj.1) + grass.

blue-jacket (n.)

also bluejacket, in the naval service, "a sailor" (as distinguished from a marine), 1830, from blue (adj.1) + jacket (n.).

blue-jeans (n.)

from 1843 as a type of fabric; see blue (adj.1) + jean. As short for blue-jeans trousers, from 1878.

blue laws

severe Puritanical code said to have been enacted mid-17c. at the founding of New Haven and Connecticut colonies, 1781; of uncertain signification, perhaps from the notion of coldness, or from one of the figurative senses in blue (adj.1). Blue was the color adopted by 17c. Scottish Covenanters (in contradistinction to the royal red) and hence the color for a time acquired an association with strictness in morals or religion. Or perhaps connected to bluestocking in the sense of "puritanically plain or mean" (see bluestocking, which is a different application of the same term); the parliament of 1653 was derisively called the bluestocking parliament.

Long, detailed lists of them often are given, but the original reference (in an anonymous history of Connecticut printed in London during the Revolution) says they were so-called by the neighboring colonies, "were never suffered to be printed," and then gives its own long list of them in quotations. The common explanation (dating to 1788) that they were written on blue paper is not now considered valid.

blue moon (n.)

"a long time," 1821, often in phrases indicating something rarely occurring. Compare at the Greek calends (from an ancient Roman phrase alluding to the fact that the Greeks had nothing corresponding to the Roman calends), and the native in the reign of Queen Dick and Saint Geoffrey's Day "Never, there being no saint of that name," reported in Grose (1788). Nevermass "date which never comes" is from 1540s. Blue moon is suggested earliest in this couplet from 1528:

Though this might refer to calendrical calculations by the Church. Thus the general "rareness" sense of the term is difficult to disentangle from the specific calendrical one (commonly misinterpreted as "second full moon in a calendar month," but actually a quarterly calculation). In either case, the sense of blue here is obscure. Literal blue moons do sometimes occur under extreme atmospheric conditions.

blueness (n.)

"quality of being blue" in any sense, late 15c., from blue (adj.1) + -ness.

blue-nose (n.)

"native or inhabitant of Nova Scotia," 1837 ("Sam Slick"), from blue (adj.1) + nose (n.). Perhaps from cold, but it is recorded in 1824 as a type of potato grown there.

blue peter (n.)

a nautical term for a blue flag having a white square in the center, hoisted at the fore royal masthead as a signal to report on board as the vessel is about to go to sea, attested by c. 1800, from blue (adj.1), but the significance of peter is uncertain and disputed. Two common guesses are that it is an abbreviation of repeater or that it stands for French partir.

blue-plate (adj.)

in reference to restaurant meals, 1918, from blue (adj.1) + plate (n.). The term arose in the trade, to refer to a complete dinner offered at a reasonable price and served on a single, large plate of a good grade of china.

blueprint (n.)

also blue-print, 1882, from blue (adj.1) + print (n.). The process uses blue on white, or white on blue. The figurative sense of "detailed plan" is attested from 1926. As a verb by 1939.

bluesy (adj.)

in music, "resembling or of the style of the blues," 1946, from blues (n.1) + -y (2).

bluestocking (n.)

also blue-stocking, 1790, derisive word for a woman considered too learned; see blue (adj.1) + stocking. The usage traces to a London literary salon founded c. 1750 by Elizabeth Montagu on the Parisian model, featuring intellectual discussion instead of card games and in place of ostentatious evening attire simple dress, including notably Benjamin Stillingfleet's blue-gray tradesman's hose, which he wore in place of gentleman's black silk. Hence the term, first applied in derision to the whole set by Admiral Boscawen. None of the ladies wore blue stockings. The phrase was borrowed by the neighbors in loan-translations such as French bas-bleu, Dutch blauwkous, German Blaustrumpf.

bluffing (n.)

1845, in the poker sense, verbal noun from bluff (v.).

bluff (n.1)

"broad, vertical cliff," 1680s, from bluff (adj.) "with a broad, flat front" (1620s), a sailors' word, probably from Dutch blaf "flat, broad." Apparently a North Sea nautical term for ships with broad bows and flat vertical stems. It was later extended to landscape features in North America, such as high broad banks along a shore or range of hills. Of persons, in reference to a full face, indicative of frankness and rough good humor, 1808.

bluff (n.2)

an alternative name for the game of poker, 1824; see bluff (v.). As "an act of bluffing" by 1864. To call (one's) bluff is from 1876.

bluff (v.)

1839, "to deceive (opponents), especially by betting heavily and with a confident air on a worthless hand to make them 'fold,'" an American English poker term, perhaps from Dutch bluffen "to brag, boast," or verbluffen "to baffle, mislead." The general sense "use a show of confident assurance to deceive an opponent as to one's real resources or strength" is by 1854. Related: Bluffed; bluffing.

An identical word meant "blindfold, hoodwink" in 1670s, but the sense evolution and connection are unclear; OED calls it "one of the numerous cant terms ... which arose between the Restoration and the reign of Queen Anne."

bluish (adj.)

"somewhat blue," late 14c., blewysh; see blue (adj.1) + -ish.

blunder (v.)

mid-14c., "to stumble about blindly," from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse blundra "shut one's eyes," perhaps from Proto-Germanic *blinda- "blind" (see blind (adj.)). The meaning "make a stupid mistake" is recorded by 1711. Related: Blundered; blundering.

blundering (adj.)

mid-14c., present-participle adjective from blunder (v.). Related: Blunderingly. As a verbal noun, mid-15c.

blunder (n.)

late 14c., blonder, blunder, "disturbance, strife; trouble, distress;" apparently from blunder (v.). The original sense is obsolete. The meaning "a mistake made through hurry or confusion" is from 1706.

blunderful (adj.)

1797, jocular blend of blunder and wonderful.

blunderbuss (n.)

"short, large-bore gun or firearm with a funnel-shaped muzzle," 1650s, from Dutch donderbus, from donder "thunder" (Middle Dutch doner, donder, from Proto-Germanic *thunaraz; see thunder (n.)) + bus "gun" (originally "box, tube"); altered by resemblance to blunder. Related: Blunderbussier.

blunt (v.)

"to make blunt, dull the edge or point of," late 14c., from blunt (adj.). Related: Blunted; blunting.

blunt (adj.)

c. 1200, blunt, blont, "dull, obtuse" (of persons), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from or related to Old Norse blundra "to shut one's eyes" (see blunder (v.)). Or from Old English blinnan (past participle blon) "to stop, cease, come to an end." Of tools or weapons, "not sharp, without edge or point," late 14c. The meaning "abrupt of speech or manner" is from 1580s. Late 18c. Scottish writers used blunty (n.) for "stupid fellow."

bluntness (n.)

late 15c., "stupidity," also "dullness of an edge, state or quality of being blunt," from blunt (adj.) + -ness. The meaning "rudeness" is from c. 1600.

blunt (n.)

1610s, "a blunt sword;" 1833 as a size or type of needle; late 19c. as a size or type of cigars, from blunt (adj.). As street slang for "marijuana and tobacco cigar" (easier to pass around, easier to disguise, and the stimulant in the tobacco enhances the high from the pot), by c. 1993, said to have originated among Jamaicans in New York City in the early 1980s; from Phillies Blunt brand cigars.

bluntly (adv.)

early 15c., "gradually;" mid-15c., "unskillfully;" 1550s, "stupidly," from blunt (adj.) + -ly (2). The meaning "directly, abruptly" is from 1570s.

blur (n.)

1540s, "a moral stain;" c. 1600, "a smear on the surface of writing;" of uncertain origin, perhaps akin to blear. The extended sense of "a confused dimness" is from 1860 [Emerson, in reference to the Orion nebula].

blur (v.)

1580s, "blot out by smearing ink over," probably from blur (n.), but the dates are close and either might be the original. It is attested from 1610s as "obscure without defacing," also "dim the perception of." From 1856 in the intransitive sense of "become blurred." Related: Blurred; blurring.

blurb (n.)

used by U.S. scholar Brander Matthews in 1906 in "American Character;" popularized 1907 by U.S. humorist Frank Gelett Burgess. Originally mocking excessive praise printed on book jackets, and probably derisively imitative.

Burgess occasionally wrote for Munsey's popular magazine, but the origin story in the joke shouldn't be taken seriously.

blurry (adj.)

"confused and indistinct," 1855, from blur (n.) + -y (2). Related: Blurrily; blurriness.

blurt (v.)

"utter suddenly or inadvertently" (usually with out (adv.)), 1570s, probably echoic. Related: blurted; blurting. As a noun, 1570s, probably from the verb.

blush (v.)

late 14c., bluschen, blischen, "to shine brightly; to look, gaze, stare," probably from Old English blyscan "blush, become red, glow" (glossing Latin rutilare), akin to blyse "torch," from Proto-Germanic *blisk- "to shine, burn," which also yielded words in Low German (Dutch blozen "to blush") and Scandinavian (Danish blusse "to blaze; to blush"); ultimately from PIE *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn."

For vowel evolution, see bury. The sense of "turn red in the face" (from shame, modesty, confusion, etc.) is from c. 1400. Related: Blushed; blushing.

blush (n.)

mid-14c., "a look, a glance" (sense preserved in at first blush "at first glance"), also "a gleam, a gleaming" (late 14c.), from blush (v.). As "a reddening of the face" from 1590s. The meaning "a rosy color" is also from 1580s. As a cosmetic for coloring the face, perhaps 1712 (Pope) but outside poetic use the term is uncommon before 1960s.

bluster (n.)

1580s, "a storm of violent wind," from bluster (v.). The meaning "noisy, boisterous, inflated talk" is from 1704.

bluster (v.)

late 14c., "stray blindly or blunderingly, wander aimlessly, go astray;" c. 1400, of persons, "shout loudly and angrily," from a Low German source, such as Middle Low German blüstren "to blow violently," East Frisian blüstern "to bluster," probably from the same source as blow (v.1), or perhaps imitative. Of weather in English from mid-15c. Related: Blustered; blustering.

blustery (adj.)

1739, "noisy, swaggering," of persons; 1774, "rough, stormy," of weather; from bluster (n.) + -y (2). Blustering is from 1510s as "stormy, tempestuous;" 1650s as "boastful, swaggering." Shakespeare used blusterous.

BMX

"dirt-track bicycle racing," 1978, semi-acronym from bicycle motocross.

B'nai B'rith (n.)

Jewish fraternal organization founded in New York City in 1843, Hebrew, literally "Sons of the Covenant," from bene, construct state of banim, plural of ben "son," + brith "covenant."

b.o. (n.)

by c. 1950, an abbreviation of body odor; an advertisers' invention.

boing

cartoon sound of a compressed spring being released or other reverberation, 1952, echoic.

boa (n.)

late 14c., "large snake," from Latin boa, type of large serpent mentioned in Pliny's "Natural History;" a word of unknown origin (in medieval folk etymology the name was associated with Greek bous "ox"). Applied by 1620s to a type of large, non-venomous serpent of the South American tropics that kills by constricting its prey. Extension to "snake-like wrap of fur worn around the throat" is from 1836. The popular name boa constrictor is by 1808 in English (from 1770s in German, 1780s in French).

Boanerges

name given by Christ to his disciples John and James, the two sons of Zebedee (Mark iii.17), Late Latin, from Ecclesiastical Greek Boanerges, from a Galilean dialectal corruption of Hebrew bene reghesh "sons of rage" (interpreted in Greek as "sons of thunder"), from bene (see B'nai B'rith) + reghesh "commotion, tumult, throng." The name was applied figuratively to zealous or loud preachers.

boar (n.)

Middle English bor, from Old English bar "boar, uncastrated male swine," from Proto-Germanic *bairaz (source also of Old Saxon ber, Dutch beer, Old High German ber "a boar"), which is of unknown origin with no cognates outside West Germanic.

Originally of either wild or tame animals; wild boar is from c. 1200. The chase of the wild boar was considered one of the most exciting sports. Applied by c. 1300 to persons of boar-like character.

boarding (n.)

1530s, "supplying of meals; food and lodging," from board (n.1) in its extended sense of "food" (via notion of "table"). Boarding-school is from 1670s; boarding-house is attested from 1728.

board (n.2)

"side of ship," Old English bord "border, rim, ship's side," from Proto-Germanic *burdan (source also of Old Frisian bord, Old Saxon bord, Dutch boord "border, edge, ship's side," German Bord "margin, border," Old High German bart, Old Norse barð "margin, shore, ship-board"), perhaps from the same source as board (n.1), but not all sources accept this. Connected to border; see also starboard.

If not etymologically related to board (n.1), the two forms represented in English by these words were nonetheless confused at an early date in most Germanic languages, a situation made worse in English because this Germanic word also was adopted in Medieval Latin as bordus (source of Italian and Spanish bordo) and entered Old French as bort "beam, board, plank; side of a ship" (12c., Modern French bord), via either Medieval Latin or Frankish, and from thence it came over with the Normans to mingle with its native cousins. By now the senses are inextricably tangled. Some etymology dictionaries treat them as having been the same word all along.

To go by the board originally was "fall overboard" (1757), of a mast, etc., hence, generally, "be completely lost or destroyed" (1835). To be on board is from c. 1500, originally nautical, "close alongside;" then, less technically, "on the ship" (1708), perhaps by influence of aboard, or from the noun in the sense "plank;" subsequently extended to trains, planes, general situations.

board (v.)

various senses from board (n.1) and board (n.2): "come alongside" (a ship), mid-15c. (from n.2); "put boards on, frame with boards," late 14c. (from n.1); "close with boards" (1885, typically with up, from n.1). The meaning "get onto" a ship (1590s, from n.2), was transferred mid-19c. to stages, railway cars, and later aircraft, etc.

The meaning "to be supplied with food and lodging" (from n.1 in transferred sense) is from 1550s. The transitive meaning "provide with daily meals and lodging" is from 1590s. Related: Boarded; boarding.

board (n.1)

"piece of timber sawn flat and thin, longer than it is wide, wider than it is thick, narrower than a plank;" Old English bord "a plank, flat surface," from Proto-Germanic *burdam (source also of Old Norse borð "plank," Dutch bord "board," Gothic fotu-baurd "foot-stool," German Brett "plank"), perhaps from a PIE verb meaning "to cut." See also board (n.2), with which this is so confused as practically to form one word (if indeed they were not the same word all along).

In late Old English or early Middle English the sense was extended to include "table;" hence the transferred meaning "food" (early 14c.), as "that which is served upon a table," especially "daily meals provided at a place of lodging" (late 14c.). Compare boarder, boarding, and Old Norse borð, which also had a secondary sense of "table" and an extended sense "maintenance at table." Hence also above board "honest, open" (1610s; compare modern under the table "dishonest").

A further extension was to "table where council is held" (1570s), from whence the word was transferred to "leadership council, persons having the management of some public or private concern" (1610s), as in board of directors (1712).

The meaning "table upon which public notices are written" is from mid-14c. The meaning "table upon which a game is played" is from late 14c. The sense of "thick, stiff paper" is from 1530s. Boards "stage of a theater" is from 1768.

boarder (n.)

1520s, "one who has food and/or lodging at the house of another," agent noun from board (v.) in the "be supplied with food" sense. The nautical meaning "one who boards (an enemy's) ship" to attack it is from 1769, from a verbal sense derived from board (n.2).

board-game (n.)

also boardgame, "game played on a board," 1867, from board (n.1) + game (n.). Compare German Brettspiel.

boardroom (n.)

also board-room, "chamber in which the directors of a company or organization meet," 1731, from board (n.1) in the sense of "table where council is held" + room (n.).

boardwalk (n.)

"walkway made of boards," 1864, American English, from board (n.1) + walk (n.). As a seaside attraction from 1881, first in reference to Atlantic City, N.J.

boast (v.)

mid-14c., "to brag, speak arrogantly," from Anglo-French, from the same source as boast (n.). The meaning "speak with pride" is late 14c. The sense of "glory or exult in possessing" (something) is from 1540s; that of "possess something remarkable or admirable" is from 1690s. Related: Boasted; boasting.

boastful (adj.)

"given to boasting," early 14c., from boast (n.) + -ful. Related: Boastfully; boastfulness.

boast (n.)

mid-13c., "arrogance, presumption, pride, vanity;" c. 1300, "a brag, boastful speech," from Anglo-French bost "ostentation," probably from a Scandinavian source (compare Norwegian baus "proud, bold, daring"), from Proto-Germanic *bausia "to blow up, puff up, swell" (source also of Middle High German bus "swelling," dialectal German baustern "to swell;" Middle Dutch bose, Dutch boos "evil, wicked, angry," Old High German bosi "worthless, slanderous," German böse "evil, bad, angry"), from PIE *bhou-, variant of root *beu-, *bheu-, a root supposed to have formed words associated with swelling (see bull (n.2)).

The notion apparently is of being "puffed up" with pride; compare Old English belgan "to become angry, offend, provoke," belg "anger, arrogance," from the same root as bellows and belly (n.). The meaning "a cause of boasting, occasion of pride" is from 1590s. Related: Boasted; boasting. An Old English word for "boasting" was micelsprecende, literally "big talk."

boat (n.)

"small open vessel (smaller than a ship) used to cross waters, propelled by oars, a sail, or (later) an engine," Middle English bot, from Old English bat, from Proto-Germanic *bait- (source also of Old Norse batr, Dutch boot, German Boot), which is possibly from PIE root *bheid- "to split" (Watkins), if the notion is of making a boat by hollowing out a tree trunk or from split planking. Or it may be an extension of the name for some part of a ship.

French bateau "boat" is from Old English or Norse. Spanish batel, Italian battello, Medieval Latin batellus likewise probably are from Germanic languages. Of serving vessels resembling a boat, by 1680s (ship for "serving vessel or utensil shaped like a ship" is attested by 1520s). The image of being in the same boat "subject to similar challenges and difficulties" is by 1580s; to rock the boat "disturb stability" is from 1914.

boater (n.)

"stiff, flat straw hat," 1896, from boat (n.). So called for being suitable to wear while boating.

boat-house (n.)

"shed for storing boats and protecting them from weather," 1722, from boat (n.) + house (n.).

boatswain (n.)

mid-15c., bot-swein, "minor officer on a ship," from late Old English batswegen, from bat "boat" (see boat (n.)) + Old Norse sveinn "boy" (see swain).

He also summons the hands to their duties with a silver whistle. Phonetic spelling bo'sun/bosun is attested from 1840. Fowler [1926] writes, "The nautical pronunciation (bō'sn) has become so general that to avoid it is more affected than to use it."

bob (n.3)

slang word for "shilling," 1789, but the signification is unknown.

Bob

a familiar shortening and alteration of the masc. proper name Robert. British slang phrase Bob's your uncle "everything's all right" is attested by 1937. It seems to echo the old use noted in the 1725 "Canting Dictionary," which reports "Bob ... signifies Safety, ... as, It's all Bob, i. e. All is safe, the Bet is secured."

bob (v.2)

"to cut short and even all around," 1822, from bob (n.2). Related: Bobbed.

bob (n.2)

"short hair," 1680s; attested 1570s in sense of "a horse's tail cut short," from earlier bobbe "cluster" (as of leaves), mid-14c., a northern word, perhaps of Celtic origin (compare Irish baban "tassel, cluster," Gaelic babag).

The group of bob words in English is of obscure and mostly colloquial origin; some originally were perhaps vaguely imitative, but they have become more or less entangled and merged in form and sense. As a noun, it has been used over the years in various senses connected by the notion of "round, hanging mass," as of weights at the end of a fishing line (1610s), a pendulum (1752) or a plumb-line (1832). The hair sense was revived with a shift in women's styles starting in 1918 (when the cut was regarded as a sign of radicalism), and the modern noun meaning "a bobbed hair style" dates from 1920.

Related words include bobby pin, bobby sox, bobsled, bobcat.

bob (n.1)

"act of suddenly jerking up and down," 1540s, from bob (v.1).

bob (v.1)

"move up and down with a short, jerking motion," late 14c., bobben, probably connected to the Middle English bobben that meant "to strike in cruel jest, beat; fool, make a fool of, cheat, deceive" (early 14c.), which is perhaps from Old French bober "mock, deride," and perhaps ultimately of echoic origin. Related: Bobbed; bobbing. The sense of "snatch with the mouth something hanging or floating," as in bobbing for apples (or cherries), is recorded by 1799. To bob and weave in boxing is by 1928. Compare bob (n.2).

Bobadil (n.)

"blustering braggart," from the name of a boastful character in Ben Jonson's "Every Man in his Humour" (1598).

bobby (n.)

"London policeman," 1844, from the familiar diminutive form of the masc. proper name Robert, in reference to Mr. (later Sir) Robert Peel (1788-1850), Home Secretary who introduced the Metropolitan Police Act (10 Geo IV, c.44) of 1829. Compare peeler.

bobbin (n.)

"pin or spool around which thread or yarn is wound," 1520s, from French bobine, small instrument used in sewing or tapestry-making, a word of uncertain origin, perhaps from Latin balbus (see babble (v.)) for the stuttering, stammering noise it made.