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bouse1

or bowse

[bous, bouz]
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verb (used with object), boused, bous·ing. Nautical.
  1. to haul with tackle.
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Origin of bouse1

First recorded in 1585–95; of uncertain origin

bouse2

or bowse

[booz, bouz]
noun
  1. liquor or drink.
  2. a drinking bout; carouse.
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verb (used with or without object), boused, bous·ing.
  1. to drink, especially to excess.
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Origin of bouse2

1250–1300; Middle English bous strong drink < Middle Dutch būsen drink to excess; cf. booze
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bouse

Historical Examples

  • The wandering beggar says "skimish" for drink, but city beggars say "bouse."

    Beggars

    W. H. (William Henry) Davies

  • Booze, or bouse, is supposed to come from the Dutch buysen, though the word has been in use in England for some hundreds of years.

    The Slang Dictionary

    John Camden Hotten

British Dictionary definitions for bouse

bouse

bowse

verb
  1. (tr) nautical to raise or haul with a tackle
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Word Origin

C16: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012