tomboy

Meaning

1. A girl who behaves in a typically boyish manner.
2. A rude, boisterous boy.
3. An immodest or bold woman.
4. A butch lesbian.

Etymology / origin

Etymology tree Aramaic תאמא Aramaic תאומאbor. Ancient Greek Θωμᾶς (Thōmâs)bor. Latin Thōmāsbor. Middle English Thomas Middle English Thomme English Tom English tom Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō- Proto-West Germanic *bōjō Old English *bōia Middle English boye English boy English tomboy From tom + boy. First attested in Ralph Roister Doister (published 1567, written circa 1552), where it is used to describe a boisterous girl; the OED says the citation is however "generally taken" to mean a boisterous boy, and says that a use in The Old Law (published 1656, thought to have been written circa 1599) "certainly" means a boy: "must young court-tits / play tomboys' tricks with her?" By 1579 it was attested in the meaning "an immodest woman", and by no later than 1592 it had developed its modern meaning of a “girl who acts like a boy”.

Related words

Descendant words

• tomboy(Cebuano) (bor)
• tomboy(Central Bikol) (bor)
• TB(Chinese) (bor)
• tomboy(French) (bor)
• tam̧ boi(Marshallese) (bor)
• томбой(Russian) (bor)
• томбойный(Russian) (der)
• томбойский(Russian) (der)
• shiboli(Tagalog) (cog)
• tibo(Tagalog) (cog)
• tomboy(Tagalog) (bor)
• ทอม(Thai) (cog)
• томбой(Ukrainian) (bor)

Sources

No citations have been attached yet.