bo

bo

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Tibetan.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bəʊ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /boʊ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊ
• Homophones: beau, Bo, bow

Imitative.

• boh, boo

bo

1. An exclamation used to startle or frighten.
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 37, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     We may fairely cry bo-bo-boe; it may well make us hoarse, but it will nothing advaunce it.

Probably a shortening of boy.

bo (plural bos)

1. (US, slang) Fellow, chap, boy.
   • 1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin, published 2010, page 255:

     ‘Never heard of him,’ he smiled. ‘On your way, bo.’

From Japanese 棒 (bō), from Middle Chinese 棒 (bˠʌŋ^X, “staff, club”) (compare modern Chinese 棒 (bàng)).

bo (plural bos)

1. (martial arts) A quarterstaff, especially in an oriental context.

• OB, Ob, Ob., ob, ob-, ob.

From Dutch boven.

• IPA^(key): /bʊə/

• Audio

  (file)

bo

1. above

bo

1. above

Inherited from Latin bonus, from Old Latin duenos, later duonus, from Proto-Italic *dwenos, from Proto-Indo-European *dew- (“to show favor, revere”). Numerous cognates include French bon and Portuguese bom.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian) [ˈbɔ]

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔ

bo (feminine bona, masculine plural bons, feminine plural bones)

1. good

• The form bon is used as the masculine singular form when the adjective precedes the noun, and bo is used in all other cases.

• bondat

• bé, ben

• “bo” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “bo” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

bo

1. arm wrestling

bo

1. to arm-wrestle

From Middle High German wā, from Old High German wār, hwār, from Proto-West Germanic *hwār, from Proto-Germanic *hwar (“where”). Cognate with German wo, English where.

bo

1. (Luserna, interrogative) where

   Bo lebetar? ― Where do you live?

• ba (Sette Comuni)

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

bo

1. (Sette Comuni) the ... the

   Bo mèront hatzich, bo mèeront bilzich.

   The more we have, the more we want.

• “bo” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

(RLC) IPA^(key): /ˈboː/

bo

1. third-person singular present subjunctive of bos

bo

1. home, house

Inherited from Old Czech bo, from Proto-Slavic *bo. Compare Polish bo.

• IPA^(key): [ˈbo]

bo

1. (dialectal) as, since, because

   Synonym: neboť

• bo in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu
• bo in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

• IPA^(key): /boː/, [b̥oːˀ]

From Old Norse bú, from Old Norse búa (“to reside”).

bo n (singular definite boet, plural indefinite boer)

1. estate (the property of a deceased person)
2. den, nest
3. abode, home

From Old Norse búa (“to reside”), from Proto-Germanic *būaną, cognate with Norwegian bo, bu, Swedish bo, German bauen, Dutch bouwen, Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐌰𐌽 (bauan).

bo (present tense bor, past tense boede, past participle boet)

1. to live, reside, dwell

   Hun bor i London.

   She lives in London.

Clipping of boterham.

• IPA^(key): /boː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oː

bo m (plural bo's, diminutive boke n)

1. (Belgium) sandwich

bo

1. fire

Bill Palmer, The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area (→ISBN, 2017), page 531, table 95, Comparative basic vocabulary in Lakes Plain Languages

• IPA^(key): [bo]
• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bo

• Homophone: bo-

bo (accusative singular bo-on, plural bo-oj, accusative plural bo-ojn)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.

• (Latin-script letter names) litero; a, bo, co, ĉo, do, e, fo, go, ĝo, ho, ĥo, i, jo, ĵo, ko, lo, mo, no, o, po, ro, so, ŝo, to, u, ŭo, vo, zo

From Old Galician-Portuguese bõo, from Latin bonus.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbo/

bo (feminine boa, masculine plural bos, feminine plural boas)

1. good

• In Lagarteiru, when preceding a feminine noun as part of a noun phrase, the masculine forms are used.

• Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web)‎, 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN

From Proto-Oceanic *baʀoq, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *baʀəq.

bo

1. (medicine) boil

From Latin bōs, bōvem, probably through Vulgar Latin *boem.

bo m (plural bûs)

1. ox

• nemâl

• taur
• vacje

• bon
• bó
• boo (dated)

From Old Galician-Portuguese bõo, from Latin bonus. Cognate with Portuguese bom and Spanish bueno.

• IPA^(key): /ˈboː/

bo (feminine boa, masculine plural bos, feminine plural boas)

1. good

   Antonyms: malo, mao

• aboar
• boanza
• Bonome
• Boo

• ben

• “bo” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
• “bo” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “bo” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “bo” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

From Portuguese vós. Cognate with Kabuverdianu bo.

bo

1. you (second person singular).
2. you (second person plural)

From Portuguese bom. Cognate with Kabuverdianu bon.

bo

1. good

• IPA^(key): /ˈpo/

bo

1. water
2. liquid

• Lynette Frances Oates, A Tentative Description of the Gunwinggu Language (1964)
• Steven and Narelle Etherington, Kunwinjku Kunwok: A Short Introduction to Kunwinjku Language and Society (third edition, 1998)

bo

1. Alternative spelling of boh

• Ob.

bo

1. Rōmaji transcription of ぼ
2. Rōmaji transcription of ボ

From Portuguese vós.

bo

1. you (second person singular).

From Sanskrit बहु (bahu), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰn̥ǵʰús. Cognate with Hindi बहुत (bahut).

bo

1. very

bo

1. many, a lot

• IPA^(key): /bo/
• Rhymes: -o

Inherited from French beau (“handsome, fine, attractive; boyfriend”).

bo m (feminine bèl)

1. handsome, beautiful, pretty

   Synonyms: joli, vayan

   Antonyms: lèd, vilin

bo

1. (a) boyfriend

   Synonyms: boyfrìnn, lamour

   Coordinate terms: amoureu, amoureuz, bèl, blond, fyanse, gèlfrènn, kalènn, malin, négrès

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Compare Saint Dominican Creole French bobo, Haitian Creole bo.

bo

1. (transitive or intransitive) to kiss

   Synonyms: béké, embrasé

bo

1. (a) kiss

   Synonyms: bèk, nembrasad

• Alcée Fortier, Louisiana Folktales

bo (bo⁵／bo⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄅㄛ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 卜
2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 啵
3. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 噃
4. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蔔／卜

bo

1. Nonstandard spelling of bō.
2. Nonstandard spelling of bó.
3. Nonstandard spelling of bǒ.
4. Nonstandard spelling of bò.

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Inherited from Old Polish bo.

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɔ]
• Syllabification: bo

bo

1. because, for (by or for the cause that)

bo

1. namely; well
2. Emphatic particle.

• Zofia Stamirowska (1987-2021), “bo”, in Anna Basara, editor, Słownik gwar Ostródzkiego, Warmii i Mazur, volume 1, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich Wydawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk, →ISBN, page 195-107

bo

1. water

• Cornelis L. Voorhoeve, Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist (1975, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics)
• Mawes Swadesh List

bo

1. pig

• Corinna Handschuh, A typology of marked-S languages

• Rhymes: -oː

bo

1. for

• ji bo
• bo çi

Borrowed from Middle Low German behof (compare with behov).

bo (indeclinable) (idiomatic use only)

1. (uncountable, usually with ha) a need

   Jeg har bo for en hammer.

   I could use a hammer.

A noun not commonly used.

• behøve
• trenge
• ha bruk for

• behov

From Danish bo, from Old Norse bú (“settled area, town”) (compare alternative form bu). Akin to bod (“store room, booth”) and the verb bo (“to live”).

• bu (Nynorsk also)

bo n (definite singular boet, indefinite plural bo, definite plural boa or boene)

1. one's home (mainly idiomatic)

   De giftet seg og satte bo.

   They married and settled down/built their home.

2. estate

   Å skifte et bo.

   To divide an estate.

• (one's home): bolig, hjem/heim
• (estate): eiendom, gods

See combined section below.

From Danish bo, from Old Norse búa (“to prepare, finish, make preparations, equip”), cognate with Old English būan, Old Frisian buwa, Old Saxon būan and Old High German būan (whence German bauen).

• bu (Nynorsk also)

bo (imperative bo, present tense bor, simple past bodde, past participle bodd, present participle boende)

1. to live (have permanent residence), stay

   Hvor bor du (hen)?

   Where do you live?

   Jeg vet hvor du bor.

   I know where you live.

   Hvor lenge blir du boende.

   How long will you be staying?

2. to be, to dwell, to be in

   Husk at all skjønnhet på jord bor i de evige ord: Jeg elsker deg.

   Remember that all beauty on Earth dwells in those eternal words: I love you.

   (Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson)

   Du aner ikke hva som virkelig bor i henne.

   You have no idea what she's really like.

   (literally: "you have no idea what really dwells in her")

• (to live, have residence): holde hus (holde til huse), holde til husere, kampere, leve, losjere, oppholde seg, residere, tilbringe
• (to dwell in, be in): finnes, rommes, skjule seg, være, være til stede

(Noun and verb)

• “bo” in The Ordnett Dictionary
• “bo” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• search on "bo" on Ordtak.no - web site containing quotes and citations

From Middle Low German behof (compare behov).

bo (indeclinable) (idiomatic use only)

1. (uncountable, usually with ha, uncommon) a need

   Eg har bo for ein hammar.

   I could use a hammer.

• behøve
• trenge
• turve
• ha bruk for

• behov

• “bo” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bo.

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈbo/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈbo/

bo

1. because

• Czech: bo

• Jan Gebauer (1903–1916), “bo”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

• bú (“Old West Norse”)

From Proto-Germanic *būą.

bo n

1. (Old East Norse) dwelling
   • Late 10th century, Karlevi Runestone

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bo. First attested in the first half of the 14th century.

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /bɔ/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /bɔ/

bo

1. because
   • 1887, 1889 [1388], Józef Lekszycki, editor, Die ältesten großpolnischen Grodbücher, volume I, number 461:

     Czso posual Jacub medzi mnø a medzi Bodzechnø, tho posual po prawe, bosmi tho sandzili

     [Czso pozwał Jakub miedzy mną a miedzy Bodzechną, to pozwał po prawie, bosmy to sądzili]

   • c. 1301-1350, Kazania świętokrzyskie‎, page br 10:

     Moui... pocazuiø, iz sø gresnicy ctuoracy; bo moui to slouo albo sedøcim, albo spøcim, albo lezøcim, albo uma[rłym]

     [Mowi... pokazuję, iż są grzesznicy cztwioracy; bo mowi to słowo albo siedzącym, albo śpiącym, albo leżącym, albo uma[rłym]]

   • 1858 [c. 1408], “Wyroki sądów miejskich czyli ortyle [Urban court rulings i.e. "Ortyls"]”, in Wacław Aleksander Maciejowski, editor, Historia prawodawstw słowiańskich [History of Slavic lawmaking], volume 6, page 71:

     Panye woyczye, yusz bo czyą [y] pytham na prawye... yesthly to szlubyenye moczno

     [Panie wojcie, już bo cię [i] pytam na prawie... jestli to ślubienie mocno]

• Masurian: bo
• Polish: bo
• Silesian: bo

• Sławski, Franciszek (1958-1965), “bo”, in Jan Safarewicz, Andrzej Siudut, editors, Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), Kraków: Towarzystwo Miłośników Języka Polskiego
• Boryś, Wiesław (2005), “bo”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN
• Bańkowski, Andrzej (2000), “bo”, in Etymologiczny słownik języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish)
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, editor (2011–2015), “bo”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

• abo (synonym)

From Portuguese vós and Spanish vos and Kabuverdianu bo.

bo

1. you (second person singular)

bo

1. your

Inherited from Old Polish bo.

• IPA^(key): /bɔ/
• (Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔ
• Syllabification: bo

bo

1. because, for (by or for the cause that)

   Synonyms: albowiem, boć, bowiem, dlatego że, gdyż, jako że, ponieważ

   Nie zadzwoniłem, bo spałem. ― I didn't call because I was sleeping.

   Bo nie. ― Because I said no.

   Bo tak ― Because reasons.

2. or, or else, otherwise

   Synonyms: bo inaczej, inaczej, w przeciwnym razie, w przeciwnym wypadku

   Bo co? ― Or else what?

   Wstawaj już, bo spóźnisz się do szkoły! ― Get up now or you'll be late for school!

3. because (as is known, inferred, or determined from the fact that)

   On nie jest miły, bo nie chciał dać mi swoich ciasteczek. ― He isn't nice because he didn't want to give me his cookies.

4. (Middle Polish) namely

   Synonym: mianowicie

5. (Middle Polish) The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
   1. also; even
      • 1539, W. Wróbel, Żołtarz Dawidów‎, page 82/9:

        Moab y Agarenowie Gebalitowie j Amon y Amalech/ y cżudzoziemci z mieſzkaiącimi w Tirze. [...] Boy Aſſur prziſzedł ſnimi j ſtał ſie na pomoc ſinom Lotowym. [Etenim Assur venit cum illis: facti sunt in adiutorium filiis Loth]

      • 1539, W. Wróbel, Żołtarz Dawidów‎, page 88/6:

        [Confitebuntur coeli mirabilia tua domine: etenim veritatem tuam in ecclesia santorum] Będą wyznawać niebioſa czuda twoie miły panie bo y prawdę twoię będę wyſlawiać w zebraniu ſwiętych.

6. (Middle Polish) The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:

bo

1. Emphasizes the statement, usually in phrases of opposite meanings, or introduces a rhetorical question, denying its literal meaning.

   Synonyms: bo i, bo niby

   Ładna, bo ładna, ale głupia. ― Well, she might be pretty, but she is also stupid.

   Bo to prawda? ― Is this really true?

   Bo ja wiem? ― How am I supposed to know that?

   Nigdy o tym nie mówiłem, bo i po co? ― I never talked about it because why would I?

2. (with ale) may very well, but, even though, despite

   Stary, bo stary, ale mocny. ― He very well may be old, but he's still strong.

   Trudno bo trudno, ale robi się łatwiej. ― It may very well be hard, but it's getting easier.

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), bo is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 35 times in scientific texts, 5 times in news, 87 times in essays, 231 times in fiction, and 378 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 736 times, making it the 62nd most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.[1]

• bo in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• bo in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• “bo”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish], 2010-2023
• “BO”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 21.09.2016
• “BO”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 14.01.2008
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814), “bo”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “bo”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “bo”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 178
• bo in Narodowy Fotokorpus Języka Polskiego

From Latin bōs (“cow, bull”).

• (Central Romagnol): IPA^(key): [ˈbɔ]

• (Ville Unite):

bo m (plural bu) (Ville Unite)

1. ox

• Ercolani, Libero (1971) Vocabolario Romagnolo-Italiano, Monte di Ravenna, page 51

• vol

From Proto-Turkic *bōl-.

bo

1. to become

Tenishev, Edhem (1976), “bō”, in Stroj salárskovo jazyká [Grammar of Salar], Moscow, page 303

Inherited from Old Polish bo.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɔ/
• Rhymes: -ɔ
• Syllabification: bo

bo

1. because

bo

1. Emphasizes the statement, usually in phrases of opposite meanings, or introduces a rhetorical question, denying its literal meaning.

• bo in dykcjonorz.eu
• bo in silling.org

• IPA^(key): /bóː/

bọ̑

1. third-person singular future of bíti

• vo

bo

1. (Uruguay, colloquial) hey, mate, dude

   Synonym: che

• IPA^(key): /bo/

Contraction of ben and o.

bo

1. Marker for the irrealis mood.

From English bow.

bo

1. bow, arch

• alenbo (“rainbow”)

• IPA^(key): [buː]

• audio

  (file)

From Old Norse búa, from Proto-Germanic *būaną.

bo (present bor, preterite bodde, supine bott, imperative bo)

1. (intransitive) live; dwell; reside; to have permanent residence

   Jag vill bo i en stor stad.

   I want to live in a big city.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

bo n

1. nest; the place where certain animals live, in particular birds.

   fågelbo ― bird’s nest

2. (poetic, extended from sense 1) a home

   sätta bo ― settle down

   • 1893, Elias Sehlstedt, Visa‎:

     Litet bo jag sätta vill / Gård med trädgårdstäppa till, […]

     [a] little home I want to set out / [a] farm with [a] garden plot to it […]

• The use of "bo" as a shorthand for "bostad" and "boende" (housing) goes back at least to the 1920s, for example in the name of trade expos like "Bygge och Bo" (1925).

Alternative form for the definite singular: bot/bots.

• gryt
• kula
• näste
• råtthål

• bo in Svensk ordbok.

bo

1. I

• narrar

• N.J.B. Plomley (1976) A word-list of the Tasmanian aboriginal languages‎

From Vulgar Latin *boem, from Latin bos, bovem.

bo m (invariable)

1. ox

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɔ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɔ˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɔ˧˧]

From French bore.

bo

1. boron

bo

1. Alternative form of boa (“to leave a tip”)

• byddo

bo

1. (literary) third-person singular present subjunctive of bod

• IPA^(key): /bo/
• Rhymes: -oː

bo

1. penis

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎, Pacific linguistics

-bo

1. Combining stem of bona.

bo

1. I (first-person singular personal pronoun)

• IPA^(key): /bo/

bo

1. bull
2. shepherd's crook
3. handle (of a tool, etc. - a stick to hold something with)

• Beria-English English-Beria Dictionary [provisional] ADESK, Iriba, Kobe Department, Chad

From Middle Chinese 坡 (pʰuɑ).

• (Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /po˨˦/
• Tone numbers: bo¹
• Hyphenation: bo

bo (Sawndip forms 𡏋 or 圤 or 坡 or 𫭝, 1957–1982 spelling bo)

1. mountain slope; hillside; mountainside

-bo

1. Combining stem of bona.