booby

¹ American  

[boo-bee] / ˈbu bi /

noun

plural

boobies

1. a stupid person; dunce.

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

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booby ² American  

[boo-bee] / ˈbu bi /

noun

Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.

plural

boobies

1. a female breast.

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booby British  

/ ˈbuːbɪ /

noun

1. an ignorant or foolish person

2. the losing player in a game

3. any of several tropical marine birds of the genus Sula : family Sulidae , order Pelecaniformes (pelicans, cormorants, etc). They have a straight stout bill and the plumage is white with darker markings Compare gannet

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Other Word Forms

• boobyish
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of booby¹

1590–1600; earlier pooby, apparently blend of poop to befool (now obsolete) and baby; booby ¹ ( def. 2 ) perhaps by association with Spanish bobo < Latin balbus stuttering

Origin of booby²

1930–35, probably variant of earlier bubby

Example Sentences

Figure 1 | Booby chick on a nest above a coral-reef lagoon in the Chagos Archipelago.

From Nature • Jul. 10, 2018

However, somewhere along the way Bobby became Booby and nobody noticed until the leaflets were printed and were starting to be distributed.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2016

"But I've told the Booby, my wife, my ashes are to be scattered where the furlong pole was."

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2015

Even the betting public got involved in the excitement, sending Lisa’s Booby Trap off as the even-money favorite, well below her morning-line odds of 5-2.

From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2010

I tell ye I got even with old Booby and Squashnose Weight, too, that time.

From Mrs. Tree by Richards, Laura Elizabeth Howe