tomboy en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈtɑm.bɔɪ/ (General-American)
- /ˈtɒm.bɔɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Aramaic תאמא Aramaic תאומאbor. Ancient Greek Θωμᾶς (Thōmâs)bor. Latin Thōmāsbor. Middle English Thomas Middle English Thomme English Tom English tom Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō- Proto-West Germanic *bōjō Old English *bōia Middle English boye English boy English tomboy From tom + boy. First attested in Ralph Roister Doister (published 1567, written circa 1552), where it is used to describe a boisterous girl; the OED says the citation is however "generally taken" to mean a boisterous boy, and says that a use in The Old Law (published 1656, thought to have been written circa 1599) "certainly" means a boy: "must young court-tits / play tomboys' tricks with her?" By 1579 it was attested in the meaning "an immodest woman", and by no later than 1592 it had developed its modern meaning of a “girl who acts like a boy”.
Meanings
-
A girl who behaves in a typically boyish manner.
His sister, his dearest and only playmate, is a tomboy at heart.
“When you have a little girl like mine who is obsessed with the ocean and giant squids and insect infestations in homes, she’s considered weird or odd or a tomboy when in fact, science and things like that should be considered girly.”
2014 January 31, Kelly Wallace, “Pink, princess-y and sexy too soon”, in CNN:
- (obsolete) A rude, boisterous boy.
- (obsolete) An immodest or bold woman.
- (Philippines, colloquial) A butch lesbian.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| tom boy | alternative | lexicographic | |
| tomboys | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
femboy · girly girl · janegirl
Deriveds
tomboylike · tomboyism · tomboyhood · tomboyish · tomboyful
Descendants
tomboi · tomboi · tomboy · tomboy · tomboy · tomboy
Relateds
Synonyms
hoyden · ladette · romp · bruh girl
Translations (66)
bg мъжкарана (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · vls knechtebrokke (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · pl kobieton (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · tl tomboy (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · pl herod-baba (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · ru паца́нка (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · cmn 女漢子 /女汉子 (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · fr garçon manqué (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · el αγοροκόριτσο (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · ja お転婆 (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · tr erkek Fatma (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · nl wildebras (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · ko 말괄량이 (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · pl baba-chłop (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · yue 男人婆 (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · id tomboi (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · cmn 假小子 (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · kk еркекшора (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · hu fiús lány (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · ga cailín báire (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · es machorra (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · es hombruna (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · pl babochłop (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · sv pojkflicka (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · it maschiaccio (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · nl tomboy (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · fr garçonne (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · ro fată băiețoasă (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · es marimacho (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · es chica masculina (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · bn ধিঙ্গি মেয়ে (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · ar فَتَاة مُسْتَرْجِلَة (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · tr tomboy (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · kk еркек-шора (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · es varonera (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · jv tomboi (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · apc حَسَن صَبِيّ (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · fi poikatyttö (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · de Wildfang (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · jv tomboy (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · bn মর্দানি (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · mk машкуда́нка (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · da drengepige (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · pl chłopobaba (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · ca noia masculina (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · la puella masculina (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · de tomboy (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · de burschikos (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · ru мужичка (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · id tomboy (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · es marimacha (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · su balakasikang (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · es chicazo (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · nb guttejente (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · de Mannsweib (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · nrf garçonniéthe (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · pt menina macha (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · ru томбой (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · bn গেছো মেয়ে (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · my ယောက်ျားလျာ (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · pt maria-rapaz (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · cs babochlap (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · ca gallimarsot (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · br yourc'h (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · pl chłopczyca (girl who acts as a typical boy would) · de an ihr ist ein Junge verloren gegangen (girl who acts as a typical boy would)