booty

¹

[boo-tee]

noun

plural

booties 

1. spoil taken from an enemy in war; plunder; pillage.

   Synonyms: swag, winnings, gains, loot, spoils

2. something that is seized by violence and robbery.

   Synonyms: swag, winnings, gains, loot, spoils

3. any prize or gain.

   Synonyms: swag, winnings, gains, loot, spoils

booty

²

Also boo·dy

[boo-tee]

noun

plural

booties, bootys 

1. Slang.,  the buttocks.

2. Slang: Vulgar.

   1. the vulva or vagina.

   2. sexual intercourse.

   3. women regarded as sex objects.

booty

¹

/ ˈbuːtɪ /

noun

1. any valuable article or articles, esp when obtained as plunder

booty

²

/ ˈbuːtɪ /

noun

1. slang,  the buttocks

Other Word Forms

• bootyless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of booty¹

First recorded 1425–75; late Middle English boti “profit (from plundering),” from bote, bot, bout “advantage, benefit, relief,” Old English bōt; cognate with Middle Low German bute “booty,” Old Norse bȳti “exchange, barter”; oo from boot ²

Origin of booty²

First recorded in 1925–30; origin uncertain; from African American Vernacular English, perhaps from obsolete sense “body”; akin to Jamaican English and Krio buti “buttocks”

Word History and Origins

Origin of booty¹

C15: from Old French butin , from Middle Low German buite exchange; related to Old Norse býta to exchange, býti barter

Origin of booty²

C20: from _butt ¹ buttocks

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. shake one's booty,

   1. to swing the hips and buttocks from side to side.

   2. to dance with energy and enthusiasm.

Example Sentences

The North Koreans have not only made their thievery more efficient, but have also refined their money-laundering techniques to the point that the stolen booty disappears into the dark reaches of cyberspace within days.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The Rosetta Stone, found in 1799, provided the key to deciphering hieroglyphics; it was discovered by the French army and was seized by the British as war booty.

Read more on BBC

The bandits grabbed the booty in broad daylight and melted into Paris.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The penacho, experts say, was likely among the Mexican booty that the conquering Spanish dispatched back across the Atlantic.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They knew what they wanted, had evidently "cased the joint" in advance, had a brazenly simple but effective modus operandi, and needed no more than seven minutes to take their booty and get away.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• spoils