Etymology Map
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Boy

2 stages from Middle English to English.

Today it means a male child or young man

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

1
Stage 1 of 2
boie
Middle English · 1300s
"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 of 2
boy
English · 1400s
"male child"
came to mean a male child in the 1400s
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Read the full story

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.