Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rugby boy” come from?

rugby boy (English) comes from English boy, from Middle English boye, from Old English bōia, from Proto-Germanic bōjô, from Proto-Germanic bō-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰā- — to say.

rugby boy (English): A minor who is addicted to the inhalation of...

Definitions

  1. A minor who is addicted to the inhalation of...

Ancestry of “rugby boy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishboyA young male; A male child: a son of any age; A...
2Middle Englishboyeservant, commoner, knave, boy
3Old Englishbōiaboy
4Proto-Germanicbōjôyounger brother, young male relation
5Proto-Germanicbō-A stem meaning "father, brother, close male...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰā-to say
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰā- →