Where does “boy” come from?

Boy comes from Middle English boye, from Middle Dutch boeye, from Old French boie, from Latin boia, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots related to cattle and livestock.

boy (English): A young male; A male child: a son of any age; A...

Definitions

  1. A young male; A male child: a son of any age; A...

Ancestry of “boy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishboyeservant, commoner, knave, boy
2Old Englishbōiaboy
3Proto-Germanicbōjôyounger brother, young male relation
4Proto-Germanicbō-A stem meaning "father, brother, close male...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰā-to say

Words derived from “boy”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰā- →