Boy

/bɔɪ/ noun

Definition

a male child or young man

Etymology

from Middle English, origin uncertain, possibly from Old French embuie 'fettered'

Kelly Says

Simple yet loaded with cultural expectations

Translations

AMአማርኛ
ወንድ ህጻን
ARالعربية
ولد
BNবাংলা
ছেলে
CACatalà
noi
CSČeština
chlapec
DADansk
dreng
DEDeutsch
Junge
ELΕλληνικά
αγόρι
ESEspañol
niño
FAفارسی
پسر
FISuomi
poika
FRFrançais
garçon
GUGU
છોકરો
HAHA
dan yaro
HEעברית
בן
HIहिन्दी
लड़का
HUMagyar
fiú
IDBahasa Indonesia
anak laki-laki
IGIG
nwoke
ITItaliano
ragazzo
JA日本語
少年
KKKK
ұл
KMKM
ក្មេង
KO한국어
소년
MRMR
मुलगा
MSBahasa Melayu
budak lelaki
MYမြန်မာ
ကျား
NLNederlands
jongen
NONorsk
gutt
PAPA
ਲੜਕਾ
PLPolski
chłopiec
PTPortuguês
menino
RORomână
băiat
RUРусский
мальчик
SVSvenska
pojke
SWKiswahili
kijana
TAதமிழ்
பையன்
TEతెలుగు
అబ్బాయి
THไทย
เด็กชาย
TLTL
lalaking bata
TRTürkçe
oğlan
UKУкраїнська
хлопчик
URاردو
لڑکا
VITiếng Việt
cậu bé
YOYO
okunrin kekere
ZH中文
男孩
ZUZU
umfana

Ethical Language Guidance

Gender History

Historically used as a diminishing term for adult men, particularly Black men, to deny adulthood and authority. Carries power dynamics tied to servitude and colonial contexts.

Inclusive Usage

Use 'boy' for children; for adults, specify 'young man' or use neutral 'person.' In informal settings, be aware diminishment may occur depending on context and who is addressed.

Inclusive Alternatives

["young man","person","individual"]

Related Words

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