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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

boba en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈboʊ.bə/ (General-American)
  • /ˈbəʊ.bə/ (UK)

Etymology

From Chinese 波霸 (bōbà), from Cantonese 波霸 (bo1 baa3, “tapioca pearls” [literally: “big balls]”), from 波 (bo1) (itself from English ball) and 霸 (baa3, “chief, top”).

Meanings

  1. (countable, uncountable) Synonym of tapioca pearl.
    • She settled on the Chai Frappé Burst, a frozen, blended concoction with whipped cream, boba and cinnamon sugar sprinkles. 2024 September 16, Priya Krishna, “The Customized Drink Is Out of Control”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
  2. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable) Ellipsis of boba tea.
    alt of boba tea
    • “I was shocked,” said Leanne Yuen, a longtime boba drinker and a student at the University of California, Irvine. “What am I going to do now?” 2021 April 16, Kellen Browning, “Another Unlikely Pandemic Shortage: Boba Tea”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
  3. (colloquial, countable, slang, uncountable) A breast, especially that of an adult or adolescent female human.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
bobas Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

bobarista

Relateds

boba liberal

Synonyms

breasts · tapioca pearl