boy

Where does the word "boy" come from? It comes from Middle English boie, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Boy’s story begins in Middle English: boie meant “servant, knave.” First meant a servant or a commoner, often as an insult; its origin is uncertain, perhaps Anglo-French 'embuié', fettered. It reached English by 1400s as boy. Came to mean a male child in the 1400s. Today, boy means a male child or young man.

1. Stage 1 · Middle English · 1300s boie "servant, knave", first meant a servant or a commoner, often as an insult; its origin is uncertain, perhaps Anglo-French 'embuié', fettered.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s boy "male child", came to mean a male child in the 1400s.