booby

¹boo·by

noun \ˈbü-bē\

plural boobies

Definition of BOOBY

1

: an awkward foolish person : dope

2

: any of several tropical seabirds (genus Sula) of the gannet family

Origin of BOOBY

modification of Spanish bobo, from Latin balbus stammering, probably of imitative origin

First Known Use: 1602

Rhymes with BOOBY

looby, ruby

²boo·by

noun \ˈbü-bē, ˈbu̇-\

plural boobies

Definition of BOOBY

sometimes vulgar

: breast

Origin of BOOBY

alteration of bubby

First Known Use: 1916

booby

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of six or seven species of large tropical seabirds (family Sulidae), named for their presumed lack of intelligence. Two common species are wide-ranging in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans; another is found in the Pacific from southern California to northern Peru and on the Galápagos Islands. The booby has a long bill, cigar-shaped body, and long, narrow, angular wings. It flies high above the ocean looking for schools of fish and squid, which it snatches in a vertical dive. Boobies vary in length from 25 to 35 in. (65–85 cm). They nest in colonies but are territorial.