From Middle English boy, boye, from Middle Dutch boeye (“float, buoy”), from Old French boue (“piece of wood or cork that floats above an anchor to indicate where it is anchored”) (modern French bouée), ultimately from Frankish *baukn (“beacon”), from Proto-Germanic *baukną. Doublet of beacon.
Alternatively, and perhaps less likely (due to the unexplained shift in meaning), from Middle Dutch boeye (“shackle, fetter”), from Old French buie (“fetter, chain”), from Latin boia (“a (leather) collar, band, fetter”), from Ancient Greek βόεος (bóeos), βόειος (bóeios, “of ox-hide”), from βοῦς (boûs, “ox”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cow”).
Noun sense 2 was coined by American linguist Scott K. Lindell in 2003.
Meanings
A float moored in water to mark a location, warn of danger, indicate a navigational channel or for other purposes
Texas began deploying chains of specially designed buoys down the middle of the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass to deter migrants from crossing illegally in June 2023, sparking protests from migrant activists and from the Mexican government. 2024 July 30, Kayla Guo, “Texas’ floating barrier in the Rio Grande can stay for now, appeals court says”, in The Texas Tribune:
While comm buoys allow rapid transmission, there is a finite amount of bandwidth available. Given that trillions of people may be trying to pass a message through a given buoy at any one time, access to the network is parceled out on priority tiers. 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Communications: Administration Codex entry:
A float moored in water to mark a location, warn of danger, indicate a navigational channel or for other purposes ▸ A lifebuoy; a life preserver.
(qualifier:sign language) A sign where the non-dominant hand is held in a stationary configuration as a landmark for meaning associations with the dominant hand.
From Middle English boy, boye, from Middle Dutch boeye (“float, buoy”), from Old French boue (“piece of wood or cork that floats above an anchor to indicate where it is anchored”) (modern French bouée), ultimately from Frankish *baukn (“beacon”), from Proto-Germanic *baukną. Doublet of beacon.
Alternatively, and perhaps less likely (due to the unexplained shift in meaning), from Middle Dutch boeye (“shackle, fetter”), from Old French buie (“fetter, chain”), from Latin boia (“a (leather) collar, band, fetter”), from Ancient Greek βόεος (bóeos), βόειος (bóeios, “of ox-hide”), from βοῦς (boûs, “ox”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cow”).
Noun sense 2 was coined by American linguist Scott K. Lindell in 2003.
Meanings
(transitive) To keep afloat or aloft; used with up.
(transitive) To support or maintain at a high level.
“My Heart Will Go On” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Feb. 28, 1998, buoying the Titanic soundtrack’s 16-week run atop the Billboard 200. 2017 May 18, Mickey Rapkin, “The Oral History of Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’: Controversies, Doubts & ‘Belly Pains’ In the Studio”, in Billboard:
(transitive) To mark with a buoy.
to buoy an anchor; to buoy or buoy off a channel
Not one rock near the surface was discovered which was not buoyed by this floating weed. 1839, Charles Darwin, chapter XIII, in Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty’s Ships Adventure and Beagle, between the Years 1826 and 1836, […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 303:
To maintain or enhance enthusiasm or confidence; to lift the spirits of.
Buoyed by the huge success, they announced two other projects.
Fancett is clearly buoyed by the support. "I believe the people of Newbiggin[-by-the-Sea] want it. Newbiggin Council wants to see it [the line] extended. 2026 February 4, Andy Comfort, “Northumberland Line: beyond the buffers”, in RAIL, number 1054, page 54:
Considering the results of the study, today John may be buoyed at the clear trend of increasing numbers of new “lishes” for each successive decade since the 1950s, and the fact that nothing in the data suggests this trend is likely to falter. 2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide, page 18:
It ended up being a bittersweet night for England, full of goals to send the crowd home happy, buoyed by the news that Montenegro and Poland had drawn elsewhere in Group H but also with a measure of regret about what happened to Danny Welbeck and what it means for Roy Hodgson's team going into a much more difficult assignment against Ukraine. 2013 September 6, Daniel Taylor, “Danny Welbeck leads England's rout of Moldova but hit by Ukraine ban”, in The Guardian:
This dynamic stage of the ongoing struggle for long-denied democratic rights and national liberation helped inspire and buoy many in the U.S. and around the world who longed for social and economic justice. 2006 February 12, Leslie Feinberg, “Black movement raised hopes of all downtrodden”, in Workers World:
de abbaken (mark with a buoy) · nl vlottend houden (keep afloat or aloft) · es aboyar (mark with a buoy) · nl markeren (mark with a buoy) · fi piristää (maintain or enhance enthusiasm or confidence) · de tragen (keep afloat or aloft) · de oben halten (support or maintain at a high level) · nds-de över Water holen (keep afloat or aloft) · de ausbojen (mark with a buoy) · nl afbakenen (mark with a buoy) · nl hoog houden (support or maintain at a high level) · fr surnager (keep afloat or aloft) · nds-de baven holen (support or maintain at a high level) · de mit einer Boje markieren (mark with a buoy) · nl stutten (support or maintain at a high level) · de flott erhalten (keep afloat or aloft) · fi pitää ilmassa (keep afloat or aloft) · fi merkitä poijulla (mark with a buoy) · pt sustentar (maintain or enhance enthusiasm or confidence) · fi poijuttaa (mark with a buoy) · nds-de hooch holen (support or maintain at a high level) · de über Wasser halten (keep afloat or aloft) · fi tukea (support or maintain at a high level) · nl drijvend houden (keep afloat or aloft) · fi rohkaista (maintain or enhance enthusiasm or confidence) · fi leijuttaa (keep afloat or aloft) · de aufbojen (keep afloat or aloft) · de auf der Wasseroberfläche halten (keep afloat or aloft) · fi kelluttaa (keep afloat or aloft) · de aufrechterhalten (support or maintain at a high level) · fi pitää pinnalla (keep afloat or aloft) · ca aboiar (keep afloat or aloft) · de beflügeln (maintain or enhance enthusiasm or confidence) · ca aboiar (mark with a buoy) · de hoch halten (support or maintain at a high level) · de mit Bojen markieren (mark with a buoy) · nds-de op dat Waterböverflach holen (keep afloat or aloft) · fa شناور ماندن (keep afloat or aloft)