bo

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word bo. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word bo, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say bo in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word bo you have here. The definition of the word bo will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofbo, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

Translingual

Symbol

bo

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Tibetan.

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Imitative.

Alternative forms

Interjection

bo

  1. An exclamation used to startle or frighten.
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Probably a shortening of boy.

Noun

bo (plural bos)

  1. (US, slang) Fellow, chap, boy.
    • 1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin, published 2010, page 255:
      ‘Never heard of him,’ he smiled. ‘On your way, bo.’

Etymology 3

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

From Japanese (), from Middle Chinese (bˠʌŋX, staff, club) (compare modern Chinese (bàng)).

Noun

bo (plural bos)

  1. (martial arts) A quarterstaff, especially in an oriental context.

See also

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch boven.

Pronunciation

Adverb

bo

  1. above

Preposition

bo

  1. above

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin bonus, from Old Latin duenos, later duonus, from Proto-Italic *dwenos, from Proto-Indo-European *dew- (to show favor, revere). Numerous cognates include French bon and Portuguese bom.

Pronunciation

Adjective

bo (feminine bona, masculine plural bons, feminine plural bones)

  1. good

Usage notes

  • The form bon is used as the masculine singular form when the adjective precedes the noun, and bo is used in all other cases.

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

Further reading

Cebuano

Noun

bo

  1. arm wrestling

Verb

bo

  1. to arm-wrestle

Cimbrian

Etymology 1

From Middle High German , from Old High German wār, hwār, from Proto-West Germanic *hwār, from Proto-Germanic *hwar (where). Cognate with German wo, English where.

Adverb

bo

  1. (Luserna, interrogative) where
    Bo lebetar?Where do you live?
Alternative forms

References

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Conjunction

bo

  1. (Sette Comuni) the ... the
    Bo mèront hatzich, bo mèeront bilzich.
    The more we have, the more we want.

References

  • “bo” in Martalar, Umberto Martello, Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

Cornish

Pronunciation

(RLC) IPA(key): /ˈboː/

Verb

bo

  1. third-person singular present subjunctive of bos

Mutation

Cuiba

Noun

bo

  1. home, house

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Old Czech bo, from Proto-Slavic *bo. Compare Polish bo.

Pronunciation

Conjunction

bo

  1. (dialectal) as, since, because
    Synonym: neboť

Further reading

  • bo in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu
  • bo in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

Danish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Old Norse , from Old Norse búa (to reside).

Noun

bo n (singular definite boet, plural indefinite boer)

  1. estate (the property of a deceased person)
  2. den, nest
  3. abode, home
Inflection

Etymology 2

From Old Norse búa (to reside), from Proto-Germanic *būaną, cognate with Norwegian bo, bu, Swedish bo, German bauen, Dutch bouwen, Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐌰𐌽 (bauan).

Verb

bo (present tense bor, past tense boede, past participle boet)

  1. to live, reside, dwell
    Hun bor i London.
    She lives in London.
Conjugation

Dutch

Etymology

Clipping of boterham.

Pronunciation

Noun

bo m (plural bo's, diminutive boke n)

  1. (Belgium) sandwich

Duvle

Noun

bo

  1. fire

Further reading

Bill Palmer, The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area (→ISBN, 2017), page 531, table 95, Comparative basic vocabulary in Lakes Plain Languages

Esperanto

Pronunciation

Noun

bo (accusative singular bo-on, plural bo-oj, accusative plural bo-ojn)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.

See also

Fala

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese bõo, from Latin bonus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

bo (feminine boa, masculine plural bos, feminine plural boas)

  1. good

Usage notes

  • In Lagarteiru, when preceding a feminine noun as part of a noun phrase, the masculine forms are used.

Derived terms

Related terms

References

  • Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web), 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN

Fijian

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *baʀoq, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *baʀəq.

Noun

bo

  1. (medicine) boil

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin bōs, bōvem, probably through Vulgar Latin *boem.

Noun

bo m (plural bûs)

  1. ox

Synonyms

See also

Galician

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese bõo, from Latin bonus. Cognate with Portuguese bom and Spanish bueno.

Pronunciation

Adjective

bo (feminine boa, masculine plural bos, feminine plural boas)

  1. good
    Antonyms: malo, mao

Derived terms

Related terms

References

  • bo” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
  • bo” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
  • bo” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
  • bo” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology 1

From Portuguese vós. Cognate with Kabuverdianu bo.

Pronoun

bo

  1. you (second person singular).
  2. you (second person plural)

Etymology 2

From Portuguese bom. Cognate with Kabuverdianu bon.

Adjective

bo

  1. good

Gunwinggu

Pronunciation

Noun

bo

  1. water
  2. liquid

Derived terms

References

  • Lynette Frances Oates, A Tentative Description of the Gunwinggu Language (1964)
  • Steven and Narelle Etherington, Kunwinjku Kunwok: A Short Introduction to Kunwinjku Language and Society (third edition, 1998)

Italian

Interjection

bo

  1. Alternative spelling of boh

Anagrams

Japanese

Romanization

bo

  1. Rōmaji transcription of
  2. Rōmaji transcription of

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese vós.

Pronoun

bo

  1. you (second person singular).

Kalasha

Etymology

From Sanskrit बहु (bahu), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰn̥ǵʰús. Cognate with Khowar بو (bo), Hindi बहुत (bahut).

Adverb

bo

  1. very

Adjective

bo

  1. many, a lot

Louisiana Creole

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Inherited from French beau (handsome, fine, attractive; boyfriend).

Adjective

bo m (feminine bèl)

  1. handsome, beautiful, pretty
    Synonyms: joli, vayan
    Antonyms: lèd, vilin

Noun

bo

  1. (a) boyfriend
    Synonyms: boyfrìnn, lamour
    Coordinate terms: amoureu, amoureuz, bèl, blond, fyanse, gèlfrènn, kalènn, malin, négrès

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Compare Saint Dominican Creole French bobo, Haitian Creole bo.

Verb

bo

  1. (transitive or intransitive) to kiss
    Synonyms: béké, embrasé

Noun

bo

  1. (a) kiss
    Synonyms: bèk, nembrasad

References

  • Alcée Fortier, Louisiana Folktales

Mandarin

Romanization

bo (bo5bo0, Zhuyin ˙ㄅㄛ)

  1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of
  2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of
  3. Hanyu Pinyin reading of
  4. Hanyu Pinyin reading of

bo

  1. Nonstandard spelling of .
  2. Nonstandard spelling of .
  3. Nonstandard spelling of .
  4. Nonstandard spelling of .

Usage notes

  • Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Masurian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish bo.

Pronunciation

Conjunction

bo

  1. because, for (by or for the cause that)

Particle

bo

  1. namely; well
  2. emphatic particle

Further reading

  • Zofia Stamirowska (1987-2021) “bo”, in Anna Basara, editor, Słownik gwar Ostródzkiego, Warmii i Mazur, volume 1, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich Wydawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk, →ISBN, pages 195-107

Mawes

Noun

bo

  1. water

Further reading

Nabak

Noun

bo

  1. pig

References

  • Corinna Handschuh, A typology of marked-S languages

Northern Kurdish

Pronunciation

Preposition

bo

  1. for

Derived terms

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle Low German behof (compare with behov).

Noun

bo (indeclinable) (idiomatic use only)

  1. (uncountable, usually with ha) a need
    Jeg har bo for en hammer.
    I could use a hammer.
Usage notes

A noun not commonly used.

Synonyms
Related terms

Etymology 2

From Danish bo, from Old Norse (settled area, town) (compare alternative form bu). Akin to bod (store room, booth) and the verb bo (to live).

Alternative forms

  • bu (Nynorsk also)

Noun

bo n (definite singular boet, indefinite plural bo, definite plural boa or boene)

  1. one's home (mainly idiomatic)
    De giftet seg og satte bo.
    They married and settled down/built their home.
  2. estate
    Å skifte et bo.
    To divide an estate.
Synonyms
Derived terms
See combined section below.

Etymology 3

From Danish bo, from Old Norse búa (to prepare, finish, make preparations, equip), cognate with Old English būan, Old Frisian buwa, Old Saxon būan and Old High German būan (whence German bauen).

Alternative forms

  • bu (Nynorsk also)

Verb

bo (imperative bo, present tense bor, simple past bodde, past participle bodd, present participle boende)

  1. to live (have permanent residence), stay
    Hvor bor du (hen)?
    Where do you live?
    Jeg vet hvor du bor.
    I know where you live.
    Hvor lenge blir du boende.
    How long will you be staying?
  2. to be, to dwell, to be in
    Husk at all skjønnhet på jord bor i de evige ord: Jeg elsker deg.
    Remember that all beauty on Earth dwells in those eternal words: I love you.
    (Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson)
    Du aner ikke hva som virkelig bor i henne.
    You have no idea what she's really like.
    (literally: "you have no idea what really dwells in her")
Synonyms
Derived terms
(Noun and verb)

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Middle Low German behof (compare behov).

Noun

bo (indeclinable) (idiomatic use only)

  1. (uncountable, usually with ha, uncommon) a need
    Eg har bo for ein hammar.
    I could use a hammer.

Synonyms

Related terms

References

Old Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bo.

Pronunciation

Conjunction

bo

  1. because

Descendants

  • Czech: bo

References

Old Norse

Alternative forms

  • (Old West Norse)

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *būą.

Noun

bo n

  1. (Old East Norse) dwelling

Old Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bo. First attested in the first half of the 14th century.

Pronunciation

Conjunction

bo

  1. because
    • 1887, 1889 [1388], Józef Lekszycki, editor, Die ältesten großpolnischen Grodbücher, volume I, number 461:
      Czso posual Jacub medzi mnø a medzi Bodzechnø, tho posual po prawe, bosmi tho sandzili
      [Czso pozwał Jakub miedzy mną a miedzy Bodzechną, to pozwał po prawie, bosmy to sądzili]
    • c. 1301-1350, Kazania świętokrzyskie, page br 10:
      Moui... pocazuiø, iz sø gresnicy ctuoracy; bo moui to slouo albo sedøcim, albo spøcim, albo lezøcim, albo uma[rłym]
      [Mowi... pokazuję, iż są grzesznicy cztwioracy; bo mowi to słowo albo siedzącym, albo śpiącym, albo leżącym, albo uma[rłym]]
    • 1858 [c. 1408], “Wyroki sądów miejskich czyli ortyle [Urban court rulings i.e. "Ortyls"]”, in Wacław Aleksander Maciejowski, editor, Historia prawodawstw słowiańskich [History of Slavic lawmaking], volume 6, page 71:
      Panye woyczye, yusz bo czyą [y] pytham na prawye... yesthly to szlubyenye moczno
      [Panie wojcie, już bo cię [i] pytam na prawie... jestli to ślubienie mocno]

Descendants

  • Masurian: bo
  • Polish: bo
  • Silesian: bo

References

Papiamentu

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Portuguese vós and Spanish vos and Kabuverdianu bo.

Pronoun

bo

  1. you (second person singular)

Determiner

bo

  1. your

Peranakan Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Hokkien (, “not”).

Adverb

bo

  1. not: negation particle

Derived terms

Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish bo.

Pronunciation

Conjunction

bo

  1. because, for (by or for the cause that)
    Synonyms: albowiem, boć, bowiem, dlatego że, gdyż, jako że, ponieważ
    Nie zadzwoniłem, bo spałem.I didn't call because I was sleeping.
    Bo nie.Because I said no.
    Bo takBecause reasons.
  2. or, or else, otherwise
    Synonyms: bo inaczej, inaczej, w przeciwnym razie, w przeciwnym wypadku
    Bo co?Or else what?
    Wstawaj już, bo spóźnisz się do szkoły!Get up now or you'll be late for school!
  3. because (as is known, inferred, or determined from the fact that)
    On nie jest miły, bo nie chciał dać mi swoich ciasteczek.He isn't nice because he didn't want to give me his cookies.
  4. (Middle Polish) namely
    Synonym: mianowicie
  5. (Middle Polish) The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
    1. also; even
      • 1539, W. Wróbel, Żołtarz Dawidów, page 82/9:
        Moab y Agarenowie Gebalitowie j Amon y Amalech/ y cżudzoziemci z mieſzkaiącimi w Tirze. [...] Boy Aſſur prziſzedł ſnimi j ſtał ſie na pomoc ſinom Lotowym. [Etenim Assur venit cum illis: facti sunt in adiutorium filiis Loth]
      • 1539, W. Wróbel, Żołtarz Dawidów, page 88/6:
        [Confitebuntur coeli mirabilia tua domine: etenim veritatem tuam in ecclesia santorum] Będą wyznawać niebioſa czuda twoie miły panie bo y prawdę twoię będę wyſlawiać w zebraniu ſwiętych.
  6. (Middle Polish) The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:

Particle

bo

  1. emphasizes the statement, usually in phrases of opposite meanings, or introduces a rhetorical question, denying its literal meaning
    Synonyms: bo i, bo niby
    Ładna, bo ładna, ale głupia.Well, she might be pretty, but she is also stupid.
    Bo to prawda?Is this really true?
    Bo ja wiem?How am I supposed to know that?
    Nigdy o tym nie mówiłem, bo i po co?I never talked about it because why would I?
  2. (with ale) may very well, but, even though, despite
    Stary, bo stary, ale mocny.He very well may be old, but he's still strong.
    Trudno bo trudno, ale robi się łatwiej.It may very well be hard, but it's getting easier.

Declension

Derived terms

particle

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), bo is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 35 times in scientific texts, 5 times in news, 87 times in essays, 231 times in fiction, and 378 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 736 times, making it the 62nd most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.

References

  1. ^ Ida Kurcz (1990) “bo”, in Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej [Frequency dictionary of the Polish language]‎ (in Polish), volume 1, Kraków, Warszawa: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Języka Polskiego, page 29

Further reading

  • bo in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • bo in Polish dictionaries at PWN
  • Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “bo”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
  • BO”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 2016 September 21
  • BO”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 2008 January 14
  • Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “bo”, in Słownik języka polskiego
  • Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “bo”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
  • J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “bo”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 178
  • bo in Narodowy Fotokorpus Języka Polskiego

Romagnol

Etymology

From Latin bōs (cow, bull).

Pronunciation

  • (Central Romagnol): IPA(key):

Noun

bo m (plural bu) (Ville Unite)

  1. ox

References

  • Ercolani, Libero (1971) Vocabolario Romagnolo-Italiano, Monte di Ravenna, page 51

Silesian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish bo.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbɔ/
  • Rhymes:
  • Syllabification: bo

Conjunction

bo

  1. because

Particle

bo

  1. emphasizes the statement, usually in phrases of opposite meanings, or introduces a rhetorical question, denying its literal meaning

Further reading

  • bo in dykcjonorz.eu
  • bo in silling.org

Slovene

Pronunciation

Verb

bọ̑

  1. third-person singular future of bíti

Spanish

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia es

Alternative forms

Interjection

bo

  1. (Uruguay, colloquial) hey, mate, dude
    Synonym: che

Sranan Tongo

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Contraction of ben and o.

Particle

bo

  1. Marker for the irrealis mood.

Etymology 2

From English bow.

Noun

bo

  1. bow, arch
Related terms

Swedish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Old Norse búa, from Proto-Germanic *būaną.

Verb

bo (present bor, preterite bodde, supine bott, imperative bo)

  1. (intransitive) live; dwell; reside; to have permanent residence
    Jag vill bo i en stor stad.
    I want to live in a big city.
    • 1984, “Zwampen [The mushroom]”, in Lasse Åberg (lyrics), Janne Schaffer (music), Livet i regnskogarna [Life in the rainforests], performed by Electric Banana Band:
      Jag gillar inte höghus, sten och lättbetong. Jag trivs inte i stan, för den är grå och trång. Jag vill bo i en svamp, annars får jag kramp (svamp). Det finns hopp för min kropp i en mullig sopp (svamp). Kom ikväll, och var snäll, till min kantarell (svamp). Titta in, och ta ton, i min champinjon (svamp). Jag vill ut i skogen, i luft och rymd och ljus, och sitta framför svampen, och höra tallens sus. Jag vill bo ... [as before]. Tiderna är hårda, livet är en kamp. Det känns mycket bättre, om jag har min svamp. Jag vill bo ... [as before].
      I don't like high-rise, stone and lightweight concrete. I don't like it in the city, because it is gray and crowded . I want to live in a mushroom, otherwise I get cramps (mushroom). There is hope for my body in a chubby bolete (mushroom). Come tonight, and be nice , to my chanterelle (mushroom). Stop by, and sing , in my champignon (mushroom). I want to get out in the forest , in air and space and light, and sit in front of the mushroom, and hear the sighing of the pine. I want to live ... . times are hard, life is a struggle. It feels much better, if I have my mushroom. I want to live ... .
    • 1989, Eva Dahlgren (lyrics and music), “Ängeln i rummet [The angel in the room]”:
      Det bor en ängel i mitt rum. Hon har sitt bo ovanför mitt huvud. Hon gör mej lugn. Och hon viskar till mej allt det jag säger dej.
      There is an angel living in my room . She has her dwelling above my head. She puts me at ease . And she whispers to me all the things that I say to you.
Conjugation
Related terms

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bo n

  1. a dwelling (of an animal), especially a bird's nest
    fågelbo
    bird’s nest
    att bygga bo
    to build a nest / to nest ("build nest" – idiomatic phrasing)
  2. (poetic, extended from sense 1) a home
    sätta bo
    settle down
    • 1893, Elias Sehlstedt, Visa:
      Litet bo jag sätta vill / Gård med trädgårdstäppa till, []
      little home I want to set out / farm with garden plot to it
Usage notes
  • The use of "bo" as a shorthand for "bostad" and "boende" (housing) goes back at least to the 1920s, for example in the name of trade expos like "Bygge och Bo" (1925).
Declension
Declension of bo 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative bo boet bon bona
Genitive bos boets bons bonas

Alternative form for the definite singular: bot/bots.

Declension of bo 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative bo bon bor borna
Genitive bos bons bors bornas
Related terms
See also

References

Venetian

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *boem, from Latin bos, bovem.

Noun

bo m (invariable)

  1. ox

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Chemical element
B
Previous: beri (Be)
Next: cacbon (C)

From French bore.

Noun

bo

  1. boron

Etymology 2

Verb

bo

  1. Alternative form of boa (to leave a tip)

Welsh

Alternative forms

Verb

bo

  1. (literary) third-person singular present subjunctive of bod

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
bo fo mo unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

West Makian

Pronunciation

Noun

bo

  1. penis

References

  • Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours, Pacific linguistics

Xhosa

Pronoun

-bo

  1. Combining stem of bona.

Yale

Pronoun

bo

  1. I (first-person singular personal pronoun)

Zaghawa

Pronunciation

Noun

bo

  1. bull
  2. shepherd's crook
  3. handle (of a tool, etc. - a stick to hold something with)

References

Zhuang

Etymology

From Middle Chinese (pʰuɑ).

Pronunciation

Noun

bo (Sawndip forms 𡏋 or or or 𫭝, 1957–1982 spelling bo)

  1. mountain slope; hillside; mountainside

Zulu

Pronoun

-bo

  1. Combining stem of bona.