booby

¹

[boo-bee]

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.

booby

²

[boo-bee]

noun

Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.

plural

boobies 

1. a female breast.

booby

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• boobyish adjective

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of booby¹

C17: from Spanish bobo , from Latin balbus stammering

Example Sentences

According to police, often the sites targeted are remote, treacherous even, and reminiscent of an Indiana Jones expedition - minus the booby traps.

From BBC

Soldiers on patrol were met with peasant militias and booby traps.

From Salon

The best sequence in the whole film is their encounter with two posh suburbanites who simply can’t imagine they’re in danger, bounding right up to them like the Galapagos Islands’ blue-footed boobies.

From Los Angeles Times

The corpse however remained in situ due to suspected booby traps and instead, part of a finger was removed and sent to Israel for testing.

From BBC

Compared to the blocking booby traps that were once set at all levels of the field, one condensed layer of opponents on a kickoff return seems easy enough to navigate for Derius Davis.

From Los Angeles Times