hoyden

or hoi·den

[ hoid-n ]

/ ˈhɔɪd n /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hoyden ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a boisterous, bold, and carefree girl; a tomboy.

adjective

boisterous; rude.

RELATED WORDS

romp, meg, gamine, spitfire, hoiden

Nearby words

hoxha, hoxha, enver, hoxie, hoy, hoya, hoyden, hoylake, hoyle, hoyle, edmond, hoyle, sir fred, hoyt

Origin of hoyden

1585–95; perhaps < Middle Dutch heyden boor, heathen

Related formshoy·den·ish, adjectivehoy·den·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hoyden

Time and Love have vainly nibbled with sharp teeth; they have in no way lessened the vague but eternal charm of her hoyden breast.
Baudelaire: His Prose and Poetry|Charles Baudelaire
I hope I will not be too noisy, nor too much of a hoyden for you—for you are not well I am sure.
The Days of My Life|Mrs. Oliphant
She cannot altogether be defended, and yet it may be averred that she is not a hoyden, not given to romping nor prone to boxing.
Barchester Towers|Anthony Trollope
It was the sudden, merry peal of a big girl, still scarcely more than a hoyden.
His Masterpiece|Emile Zola

I do not think I was an ordinary child; and notwithstanding my hoyden nature had a very thoughtful turn of mind.
A Grandmother's Recollections|Ella Rodman

British Dictionary definitions for hoyden

hoyden

hoiden

/ (ˈhɔɪdən) /

noun

a wild boisterous girl; tomboy

Derived Formshoydenish or hoidenish, adjectivehoydenishness or hoidenishness, noun

Word Origin for hoyden

C16: perhaps from Middle Dutch heidijn heathen

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

Word Origin and History for hoyden

hoyden

1590s, of unknown origin; perhaps from Dutch heiden "rustic, uncivilized man," from Middle Dutch heiden "heathen" (see heathen). Originally in English "rude, boorish fellow;" sense of "ill-bred, boisterous female" first recorded 1670s.